Department of Health and Social Care

Healthwatch England: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will increase funding for Healthwatch England.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

NHS: Staff

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of staffing levels in the NHS on the levels of supervision provided to clinicians.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: South Yorkshire

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of whether any hospitals in South Yorkshire contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications there have been to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations; and how many claims have been (a) awarded, (b) rejected and (c) were unresolved for more than six months.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Diagnosis and Medical Treatments: Children

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the concerns of parents and carers are (a) acknowledged and (b) addressed during their child's (i) diagnosis and (ii) treatment.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Buildings

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department made of the potential prevalence of RAAC in buildings (a) owned and (b) occupied by (i) NHS and (ii) other departmental staff.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Concrete

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many estates and facilities related incidents related to (a) non-critical and (b) critical infrastructure risk occurred in (i) all hospitals and (ii) hospitals containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in each of the last 12 months.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Safety

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the risk of a hospital building collapse resulting from structural safety issues.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Standards

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many clinical service incidents were caused by estates and infrastructure failure in (a) all hospitals and (b) hospitals containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in each of the last 12 months.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Concrete

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the capital cost of (a) mitigating against the risks posed by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in hospitals in the short term and (b) removal of all RAAC in hospitals by 2035.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Buildings

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS trusts in England have sites containing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) that are deemed to pose a risk that could cause the loss of life or serious harm to staff or patients.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Care Homes: Continuing Care

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments for those people in residential or nursing homes are only carried out by staff who have been briefed on the National Framework.

Helen Whately: In England, the Department of Health and Social Care is responsible for National Health Service continuing healthcare (CHC) policy and legislation which includes the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. In Northern Ireland, CHC is the responsibility of Department of Health Northern Ireland. More information on the National Framework is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-framework-for-nhs-continuing-healthcare-and-nhs-funded-nursing-careIn England, paragraph 122 of the National Framework sets out clearly that the Checklist can be completed by staff who have been trained in its use. Once an individual has been referred for a full assessment of eligibility for CHC, a multidisciplinary team must assess whether the individual has a primary health need using the Decision Support Tool.

Hospitals: Homelessness

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure rough sleepers are not discharged from hospital back onto the streets.

Helen Whately: The Department is committed to promoting safe and timely discharge for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, to appropriate accommodation. During 2020/21 and 2021/22, the Department, through the Shared Outcomes Fund, provided a total of £15.85 million to 17 sites to pilot Out of Hospital Care Models supporting people at risk of homelessness.These models provide interim accommodation and care and support while full assessments of individual needs are carried out. Feedback from sites suggests these models are important in supporting discharge and maintain flow.Whilst full evaluation is still underway, there are positive preliminary findings, including savings to the National Health Service and other public services due to the programme. A final evaluation of the programme will be delivered in December 2023 and from this we will share learning to encourage local areas to adopt similar models.In addition, we will continue to work to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Duty to Refer people believed to be homeless or at risk of homelessness, from NHS services to local authorities with their consent.Improving how discharges are arranged for people experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, will also be supported by our wider work to improve discharge processes. This includes ensuring effective care transfer hubs are in place for every system ahead of winter to coordinate and support timely discharge to the right setting for people with more complex needs.

Medical Equipment: Energy

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 187027 on Medical Equipment: Energy, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by Marie Curie entitled One charge too many, published 15 July 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023, to Question 187027 on Medical Equipment: Energy, what support the Department of Health and Social Care has provided for the forthcoming consultation on consumer protection in the energy markets.

Helen Whately: As set out in the autumn statement, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is exploring the best approach to consumer protection, as part of wider retail market reforms.The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is engaging with a broad range of stakeholders, including organisations representing people with in-home medical equipment to assess the impact of energy prices on households. The Department of Health and Social Care is supporting the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero with this. The NHS England specialised commissioning team is working to support Departmental colleagues with identifying energy-reliant medical devices used in patients' homes, and identifying clinical expert nominees, to advise more widely, as part of their operational response.The Government continues to monitor the situation and will keep options under review, including with respect to the most vulnerable households.

Community Health Services: Children

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase access to community child health services in Enfield North constituency.

Helen Whately: We are committed to reducing community health care waiting lists for children and young people. That is why the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets commitments to grow the community workforce, with increases in training places for district nurses and allied health professionals, and a renewed focus on retaining existing staff.North Central London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and local authority partners are working collaboratively to improve support available to children and young people in North Enfield. In 2021, the local National Health Service carried out a detailed review of NHS community and mental health services for adults and children across North Central London to look at what services were being provided in each of the boroughs and whether they met the health needs of residents. As a result of these service reviews, the ICB has increased investment in children’s services over multiple years and is further boosting funding available to Enfield’s community children’s services in 2023/24. The ICB focus now is on the delivery and implementation of the core offer, ensuring that any additional investment is targeted where need is greatest.

Health Services: Artificial Intelligence

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide details of the event planned by his Department with clinicians and data scientists on artificial intelligence.

Will Quince: An NHS England-led task and finish group are working with the No.10 Downing Street Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Applied Mathematics Team, who are carrying out analysis of collections of prose-based safety reports. On 21 August 2023, a roundtable event was held at Downing Street with clinical experts involving discussions on the use of AI and machine learning in the analysis of maternity ward-based patient safety incident reports, which has successfully produced a model for analysis.Over the coming months, NHS England will explore whether this model can be applied to other data rich maternity safety reports as a means of delivering new insights on potential safety signals for informing the Perinatal Quality Surveillance Model.

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Health Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure children with primary ciliary dyskinesia receive similar care to those with cystic fibrosis.

Will Quince: The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases such as primary ciliary dyskinesia.In 2021, the Government published the UK Rare Diseases Framework, providing a national vision for how to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases. The framework lists four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community: helping patients get a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments and drugs.The framework committed to nation-specific action plans and England published its second Rare Diseases Action Plan in February this year. The framework and action plans are not disease specific, but aim to improve the lives of all people living with rare diseases.

NHS: Motor Vehicles

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effectiveness of hydrogenated vegetable oil as a fuel source for NHS vehicles; and what his Department's planned timescale is for (a) assessing the results of its trial on its potential use and (b) publishing its conclusions.

Will Quince: Unipart Logistics completed a trial of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) on four vehicles for a period of 40 days across February and March 2023. Whilst this found a major reduction of 90% in carbon dioxide impact, the trial also found a 62% increase in fuel costs and highlighted the operational challenge of HVO not being available at fuel retailers. The results, and next steps, are currently being considered.The National Health Service is committed to reducing its reliance on fossil fuels across its estate and will continue to explore new options and innovations

NHS: Drugs

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of commonly used medicines that are available without prescription.

Will Quince: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom. There has been no assessment of the potential merits of increasing the number of commonly used medicines that are available without prescription as medicines are only reclassified by the MHRA when it is safe to do so and if they meet criteria set out in legislation.

Department of Health and Social Care: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Will Quince: Information on leavers, including the reason for leaving, is available via Entrants and Leavers at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1175395/Statistical_tables_-_Civil_Service_Statistics_2023.odsTo support the retention of staff and their critical skills, the Department has a comprehensive employee offer. This offer covers all touchpoints the organisation has with its staff and includes the benefits that the Department offers people who join us.

Health Professions: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of healthcare professional regulators; and if he will take steps to consolidate them.

Will Quince: In 2021 the Government commissioned a review of the number of healthcare regulators, considering whether opportunities exist for simplifying the landscape. There are no current plans to reduce the number of healthcare professional regulators, but the Government is committed to reforming the system of regulation for healthcare professionals in the UK, making it faster, fairer, more flexible, and less adversarial.A modernised regulatory framework will be introduced first for anaesthesia associates and physician associates, who will be brought into regulation under the General Medical Council by the end of 2024, before the reformed legislation is rolled out to doctors, and to the professions regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health and Care Professions Council over the following couple of years.

NHS: Consultants

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average hourly pay for NHS consultants is (a) on a typical day and (b) when covering strike action.

Will Quince: Within the NHS Staff Earnings Estimates collection, NHS England publishes annual earnings estimates for staff working in Hospital and Community Health Services. This shows the estimated average annual full-time basic pay for National Health Service consultants is £105,484 for the 12 months to March 2023, giving an average hourly basic pay for NHS consultants of £50.57 per hour.The Department does not hold data on the average hourly pay for NHS consultants when covering strike action.

NHS: Agency Workers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introudce a cap on the cost of agency workers in the NHS.

Will Quince: The Agency Rules include price caps on the total amount a trust can pay per hour for an agency worker. Trusts should not pay more than this amount except in exceptional patient safety circumstances.Additionally, the 2023/24 NHS Priorities and Operational Planning Guidance states that NHS England must reduce agency spending across the National Health Service to 3.7% of the total pay bill in 2023/24

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for breast cancer screening in the NHS.

Will Quince: The Government provides the National Health Service with overall funding and it is the responsibility of NHS England to allocate funds to public health services such as breast screening. NHS England works closely with the Department to set spending plans and report on expenditure.The assessment of the adequacy of funding for breast cancer screening is reviewed on an annual basis as part of the overall review of the NHS Public Health Functions Agreement. There have been notable recent decisions regarding the funding of breast cancer screening. For example, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic the Department committed significant funding to support additional spend on workforce and activity to remove the backlog of women whose invitations were delayed. Furthermore, this year the Government invested additional funds to deliver 28 new breast cancer screening units and nearly 60 upgrades to speed up diagnosis and treatment. The Government has approved major investment in digital products to modernise all NHS screening programmes. The breast screening programme will be the first to benefit from these enhanced IT products.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the availability of breast cancer screening appointments in (a) Slough, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Will Quince: The latest available NHS England figures, from the third quarter of 2022/23, show that 92.1% of women covered by the screening service covering Slough were offered breast screening appointments within agreed timeframes, above the acceptable target of 90%. This compares to 76.2% in the South East, and 72.9% for England.A new set of figures on availability of appointments is due to be published later this month, with early indications suggesting coverage is improving across the country.

Leukaemia: Health Services

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to support people who have been diagnosed with leukaemia.

Will Quince: The Department has taken steps to ensure that the National Health Service prioritises cancer treatment, including leukaemia. The NHS Long Term Plan states that, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. This includes provision of end of treatment summaries, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. To support delivery of our cancer care priorities, including expanding treatment capacity across NHS hospital trusts, NHS England is providing over £390 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances.More treatment is happening, with over 335,000 people receiving their first cancer treatment in the 12 months leading up to June 2023, representing an increase of more than 22,000 on the same period pre-pandemic. More information on cancer waiting times is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/We are committed to ensuring that all cancer patients get access to interventions, ensuring care is focused on what matters most to each person.

Defibrillators: Public Places

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many defibrillators have been installed in public spaces in England as of August 2023.

Will Quince: The British Heart Foundation, in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the National Health Service, has set up The Circuit, which is a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can identify the nearest defibrillator at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.The Circuit is live in all ambulance services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. As of August 2023, there were 54,976 defibrillators registered with the Circuit in England.

Allergies: Children

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that children with suspected allergies receive a diagnosis.

Will Quince: To support healthcare professionals in ensuring that children with suspected allergies receive a diagnosis, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a range of evidence-based best practice guidance for clinicians and commissioners. These include guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of drug and food allergy in under-19s [CG116]; the diagnosis and management of atopic eczema in the under-12s [CG57]; and diagnosing, monitoring, and managing asthma in adults, young people and children [NG80].NICE guidelines represent best practice, and health professionals, including general practitioners, are expected to take them fully into account. It should be noted, however, that the guidelines are not mandatory and do not replace the judgement of clinicians in determining the most appropriate treatment for individual patients.

Exercise: Older People

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) make an assessment of the potential merits of engaging older people in a daily active mile and (b) take steps to provide opportunities for such activity.

Neil O'Brien: There are no plans to make a specific assessment. The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines recommend that adults, including those aged 65 and over, should aim to be physically active every day and accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week. Moderate intensity physical activity means getting the heart rate up and breathing faster. This can include brisk walking. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities’s (OHID) ‘Better Health’ programme offers a number of free, accessible and evidence-based resources to support adults and young people to be more active. This includes the NHS Active 10 app, which encourages adults to incorporate brisk walking into their days to improve their general health and wellbeing without the need for gyms or expensive fitness programmes. The app supports and motivates users to increase and monitor the intensity of their walking, rather than just focus on the distance or number of steps throughout the day. Just 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is an easy way for adults to introduce more moderate intensity physical activity into their day. To support more individuals to reach a brisk walking pace and to achieve moderate intensity activity, OHID have just launched a new feature within the NHS Active 10 app, called ‘Pace Checker’. The feature helps walkers to find their brisk walking pace of 100 or more steps per minute, and motivates them to complete more Active 10s every day.

Electronic Cigarettes

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of people who vape who were not formerly tobacco smokers.

Neil O'Brien: Data from the Office for National Statistics adult smoking habits survey show that around 2.4% of people who have never smoked reported that they were daily or occasional vape users in 2022, an increase from 1.7% in 2021.

Dental Services: North Herefordshire

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate provision of NHS dentistry services in North Herefordshire.

Neil O'Brien: In July 2022, we announced a package of reforms to improve access to National Health Service dentistry. This included changes to banding and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the NHS and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. These include a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32. There have been improvements in access to NHS dental care over the past year. Figures from the dental annual statistics, published on 24 August 2023, show that the numbers of children and adults seen by an NHS dentist have increased compared to the previous year, and the number of courses of treatment increased by 23.2% when compared to the previous year. However, we know we need to do more, and that there are some areas where access is particularly problematic. We are working on our Dental Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.From 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to integrated care boards across England. NHS Herefordshire & Worcestershire Integrated Care Board is currently procuring two additional dental practices in North and South Herefordshire, which are expected to become operational in early 2024.

General Practitioners: Strikes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the British Medical Association on industrial action by GP's.

Neil O'Brien: Government officials and Ministers meet regularly with the England General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association (BMA) and discusses a range of topics. The Government is grateful for the tireless efforts of general practitioners and their staff and is keen to work constructively with the BMA on future contractual arrangements.

Dentistry: Resignations

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of dentists who have left the profession since 2013.

Neil O'Brien: The General Dental Council (GDC) publishes annual registration reports on the dentist register, including information on removals. People are removed from the register for a variety of reasons, with the most common being voluntary removal, retirement and non-renewal. According to GDC data, 5,554 dentists were removed from the register between 2019 and 2022. Published data is not held for between 2013 and 2018.

Health Professions: Vetting

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce new checks on healthcare staff that move between hospitals.

Will Quince: National Health Service hospitals must comply with ‘The NHS Employment Check Standards’ which set out the statutory and mandatory check requirements that employers must undertake as part of any recruitment, ongoing employment, or redeployment within the NHS in England, including where staff move between hospitals. The standards are intended to support employers to ensure individuals are of sound character and have the appropriate qualifications, skills, and competency to properly and safely perform the tasks required of them. Where relevant to the role, this includes checking a person’s registration with the appropriate professional regulatory or licensing body to ensure they are fit and licensed to practice in their chosen profession. More information on these standards is available at the following link: https://www.nhsemployers.org/

Dental Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to improve access to NHS dental care.

Neil O'Brien: In July 2022 we announced a package of reforms to improve access to dentistry in the National Health Service. This included changes to banding and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value.The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. These include a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32. To support this ambition, we will expand places by 24% by 2028/29, taking the overall number that year to 1,000 places.There have been improvements in access to NHS dental care over the past year. Figures from the dental annual statistics, published on 24 August 2023, show that the numbers of children and adults seen by an NHS dentist have increased compared to the previous year, and the number of courses of treatment increased by 23.2% when compared to the previous year.But we acknowledge that there are some areas where access is particularly problematic. We are working on our Dental Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.

Pharmacy

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support local pharmacies.

Neil O'Brien: The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework 2019-24 five-year deal commits £2.592 billion each year to the sector. In September 2022, we announced an additional one-off £100 million investment across this and last financial year. In May 2023, as part of the Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, we announced a further investment of up to £645 million over two years to expand the services offered by community pharmacies.In addition to providing funding, we are working with the sector to implement regulatory changes that reduce pressure on pharmacies without compromising the quality and safety of services.

Diabetes: Heart Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to advise patients of the impact of lower blood sugar levels on the risk of heart disease.

Neil O'Brien: The Government continues to support delivery of the NHS Health Check, England’s flagship cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention programme. The aim of the programme is to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney disease, and some cases of dementia among adults aged 40 to 74 years who receive an invite for a check once every five years. The check assesses seven of the top risk factors for CVD and this includes a blood glucose test to assess for risk of diabetes. The result of the full check will then be used to support individuals to understand their results in relation to their risk of CVD and to provide them with personalised behaviour change advice on lowering their risk.

Prescription Drugs: Side Effects

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190974 on Prescription Drugs: Side Effects, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of conducting an assessment of the potential impact of prescribed medications that have a known side-effect of weight gain on trends in the level of (a) adult and (b) child obesity.

Neil O'Brien: No specific assessment has been made.

Surgery: Shipley

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals for elective surgery were made by each GP surgery in Shipley constituency and funded through the NHS which were made to (a) the NHS and (b) independent health providers in each of the last five years.

Neil O'Brien: The data is not held in the format requested.

Healthy Start Scheme: Take-up

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to meet the 75% uptake target for the Healthy Start scheme.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) operates the Healthy Start scheme on behalf of the Department. The NHSBSA is committed to increasing uptake of the scheme to ensure as many children as possible have a healthy start in life.The NHSBSA promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and has created free tools to help stakeholders promote the scheme locally. The NHSBSA has also reached out to stakeholders to see how it can support them to promote the scheme.

Maternity Services

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) openness, (b) learning and (c) transparency in maternity units.

Maria Caulfield: In March 2023, NHS England published their ‘Three year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services’. The plan outlines that trusts are responsible for maintaining an ethos of open and honest reporting and sharing information on the safety, quality, and the experiences of their services.£2.8 million has been invested into the Perinatal Culture and Leadership Development Programme which will support multi-professional teams, from across maternity and neonatal services, to take time out together. A Maternity Leadership Training fund has been developed to equip maternity and neonatal leaders with a range of skills and knowledge to address poor workplace culture and facilitate collaborative working between nurses, doctors, midwives and obstetricians.

Health Services: Women

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on (a) delivering the Women's Health Strategy for England and (b) reducing regional disparities in access to IVF treatment.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on reducing barriers to access of fertility treatment.

Maria Caulfield: In the first year of the Women’s Health Strategy, we have achieved a significant amount, including better health information for women and girls, investing in the expansion of women’s health hubs, improving access to hormone replacement therapy, and increasing support for bereaved parents who experience a loss before 24 weeks.We have published a tool to summarise fertility commissioning policies for integrated care boards in England, to provide patients with more information and introduce greater transparency about local provision. We are continuing to work with NHS England on commitments to improve access for female same-sex couples and to end the use of non-clinical eligibility criteria in access to in-vitro fertilisation.

Infant Mortality

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains his Department's policy to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in stillbirth and neonatal mortality by 2025.

Maria Caulfield: It remains the Government’s ambition to halve the 2010 rates of stillbirths and neonatal deaths by 2025.

Influenza: Vaccination

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has held with community pharmacies on the start date for the NHS flu vaccination programme.

Maria Caulfield: This year, as is usual, the Department, NHS England and Community Pharmacy England negotiated the service specifications for the annual flu vaccination service in community pharmacy. These discussions included the start date of the National Health Service flu vaccination programme.

IVF: LGBT+ People

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on improving access to IVF for female same-sex couples.

Maria Caulfield: There are regular ongoing discussions with NHS England on improving access to in-vitro fertilisation for female same-sex couples.We remain committed to remove the requirement for female same-sex couples to self-fund six rounds of artificial insemination before being able to access National Health Service-funded treatment. NHS England are intending to issue commissioning guidance to integrated care boards to support implementation, which is expected shortly.

Sepsis: Mortality Rates

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of allowing patients the right to request an urgent second opinion from other clinicians on the number of sepsis-related mortalities there would have been in the last five years.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is actively considering introducing the right to request an urgent second opinion from other clinicians for patients and their families. As part of this process, the Department will explore available evidence on the extent to which this could improve patient safety, including the potential impact on sepsis-related mortality.The Department works closely with NHS England and other partners in the health system to support healthcare professionals to detect and treat sepsis. Over recent years, the National Health Service has become much better at spotting and treating sepsis quickly, including through use of the National Early Warning Score and Paediatric Early Warning Score, which support clinicians to identify and respond to patients at risk of acute deterioration and with suspected sepsis.

Contraceptives

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Women's Health Strategy for England, published 30 August 2022, whether the Women’s Health Strategy Year 2 priorities will increase (a) access and (b) choice for all women who want contraception; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: The priorities for the second year of implementing the Women’s Health Strategy will be announced shortly.

Health Services: Homelessness

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many integrated care boards have made specific reference to (a) homelessness and (b) rough sleeping populations in their localised strategy.

Neil O'Brien: Joint Forward Plans (JFPs) are developed by integrated care boards (ICBs) and their partner National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts as their local plans for delivering healthcare services in their local area. Under the Health and Care Act 2022, JFPs are not assured nationally and so this information is not held centrally.The Health and Care Act 2022 requires ICBs to address in their JFP how they will discharge their general statutory duties, including their duty to reduce health inequalities, which is outlined in section 14Z35 of the Act.NHS England supports ICBs to address health inequalities through the Core20PLUS5 approach, which includes people experiencing homelessness. More information on Core20PLUS5 is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/equality/equality-hub/national-healthcare-inequalities-improvement-programme/core20plus5/NHS England has issued guidance to ICBs on developing their JFPs, including access to support on addressing health inequalities. Therefore, every JFP should address tackling health inequalities, including for those experiencing homelessness, either directly or by reference to an existing agreed local strategy. More information on JFPs is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/joint-forward-plan/ JFPs can be found on ICB websites, and should be considered alongside local joint health and wellbeing strategies produced by the Health and Wellbeing Board and integrated care strategies developed by the integrated care partnership. Guidance on the preparation of integrated care strategies prepared by the Department highlights the importance of addressing the needs of inclusion health groups, and more information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-the-preparation-of-integrated-care-strategies/guidance-on-the-preparation-of-integrated-care-strategies

Prescription Drugs

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish a (a) response to the consultation on hub and spoke dispensing and (b) timetable for the implementation of secondary legislation.

Neil O'Brien: We are finalising our response to the consultation and the timetable for bringing forward the implementing of the legislation and our aim is to publish this as soon as possible. The timetable for bringing forward the implementing legislation will be dependent on the availability of Parliamentary time across the four nations.We are committed to pursuing legislative changes to level the playing field and enable all community pharmacies to make use of hub and spoke arrangements.

Contraceptives

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish data held by his Department on the number of trained long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) fitters (a) within the Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care System and (b) nationally.

Neil O'Brien: The Department does not hold data on the number of trained LARC fitters nationally, or within specific integrated care systems.

Electronic Cigarettes: Sales

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social care, whether he has had recent discussions with supermarkets on the (a) sale and (b) placement of vaping products in their premises.

Neil O'Brien: Officials from the Department have met with supermarkets and retail associations to discuss vaping policy, including to discuss what further measures can be taken to protect children from accessing vapes and enforcing our vaping regulations.The Government recently ran a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products, and this explored how vapes are promoted in retail outlets. We are currently considering a range of options based on the evidence provided and intend to respond to the call for evidence in the coming weeks.

Mental Health: Young Offenders

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps with the Secretary of State for Justice on including the unique needs of young women's mental health in the Young Women’s Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: We will join up with our colleagues at the Ministry of Justice as it takes this work forward. This will bring together best practice and evidence about how to support young women and provide the right service at every stage of their journey through the criminal justice system.

General Practitioners: Resignations

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of GPs that have qualified since 2010 and have left the NHS to practice overseas.

Neil O'Brien: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Autism

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's expected timescale is for updating its statutory guidance on autism; and how he will ensure that people with autism are consulted.

Maria Caulfield: The Department is committed to ensuring autistic people are involved in the formation of policy and decision-making processes. This year, we are working on updating the Statutory Guidance on Autism to support the National Health Service and local authorities to deliver improved outcomes for autistic people.There will be a public consultation on the draft guidance in due course, which will give autistic people, their families, and carers the opportunity to give their views. We expect to publish the updated Statutory Guidance in 2024.

Diseases: Children and Young People

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) stakeholders on the development of care pathways for children and young people living with (i) Paediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), (ii) Paediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections (PANDAS) and (iii) associated immune mediated/post-infective neuro-behavioural disorders.

Maria Caulfield: No such discussions have taken place recently.

Department of Health and Social Care: Disclosure of Information

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to review the reports of all whistleblowing investigations undertaken by his Department in the last 10 years to identify any recurring themes or issues.

Maria Caulfield: The Department regularly reviews the whistleblowing cases it receives and, in each case, decides what the appropriate action is to take. The Department also conducts an annual review of whistleblowing as part of a Cabinet Office process to record and report on whistleblowing cases.

General Practitioners: Selby and Ainsty

Keir Mather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of face-to-face GP appointments in Selby and Ainsty constituency.

Neil O'Brien: We are investing at least £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million general practice (GP) appointments by 2024 by growing and diversifying the workforce. In the twelve months to July 2023, there were 352.6 million appointments booked across England, up by 43.8 million compared to the twelve months up to July 2019.The National Health Service is clear that GPs must provide face-to-face appointments, alongside remote consultations, and patients’ input into consultation type should be sought and their preferences for face-to-face care respected unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary. In Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, 69.7% of appointments were face-to-face in July 2023.

General Practitioners: Overseas Workers

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of GPs who have qualified since 2015 and left the NHS to practice overseas.

Neil O'Brien: The Department does not hold the data requested.

Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of radiotherapy linear accelerator (LINAC) machines will be over their recommended lifespan by the end of (a) 2023, (b) 2024 and (c) 2025.

Will Quince: Since April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines sits with local systems. This is supported by the 2021 Spending Review, which set aside £12 billion in operational capital for the NHS (2022-25).Recent Capital Planning Guidance sets out the expectation that the majority of radiotherapy equipment, particularly linear accelerator (LINAC) machines, will need to be replaced at ten years of age, to make progress on Long Term Plan priorities. The guidance states that Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) need to develop replacement plans as part of their multi-year capital plans, in partnership with specialised commissioners, Cancer Alliances and Radiotherapy Operational Delivery Networks, based on an assessment of equipment age, capacity and demand, opportunities to improve access, and service risk.

NHS: Translation Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of translation services used by the NHS in financial years (a) 2022-2023 and (b) 2021-2022.

Will Quince: Information on expenditure on translation services is not held centrally by NHS England, and NHS England has not estimated the potential cost to the public purse of these services used by the National Health Service.

NHS: Buildings and Land

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing NHS properties to be disposed of at a rate below market value for (a) housing and (b) other projects aimed to support the local community.

Will Quince: When disposing of surplus healthcare assets, all such sites are expected to be advertised to public sector bodies before wider marketing activity commences. In considering whether such sites are indeed surplus to requirements, the relevant integrated care board or National Health Service provider would need to consider whether there is a viable future healthcare related use and the level and availability of investment required to achieve this outcome.If there is no economically viable expression of interest from another public sector body, then it is up to the property owner to determine the most appropriate marketing strategy to deliver best value from the sale in accordance with requirements set out in HM Treasury guidance on Managing Public Money.Whilst most surplus NHS sites are sold for housing in line with local planning policies, prospective purchasers will make individual assessments regarding each site. All funds generated from the sale of healthcare assets are reinvested in the NHS.

Primary Health Care: Finance

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether new capital funding was made available to primary care estates in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in the financial year 2022-23.

Will Quince: The Government has allocated over £24 billion of capital funding to the National Health Service between 2022/23 and 2024/25.Over £12 billion of this is allocated to integrated care boards (ICB) to invest themselves based on local priorities, including primary care facilities. The table below sets out the operational capital allocation for London ICBs, including North London Partners in Health & Care ICB, the relevant ICB for Enfield North and the London Borough of Enfield.Integrated Care BoardOperational Capital Allocation (2022/23 to 2024/25)South West London Health & Care Partnership ICB£374mNorth West London Health & Care Partnership ICB£650mOur Healthier South East London ICB£681mNorth London Partners in Health & Care ICB£590mEast London Health & Care Partnership ICB£256mTotal£2551m

Dermatitis: Costs

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the report by Demos entitled The Costs of Atopic Dermatitis published April 2023.

Will Quince: Whilst we have made no specific assessment of Demos’ report, or the economic impact of atopic dermatitis on people living with the condition, or on the National Health Service and the wider economy, we recognise the impact that skin conditions can have on all aspects of life and the importance of ensuring that those affected receive the treatment and support that they need.To support people with skin conditions, such as atopic dermatitis, the Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) national report for dermatology makes specific recommendations to ensure early access to diagnosis and treatment across England.GIRFT is a national programme designed to improve the treatment and care of patients through in-depth review of services, benchmarking and presenting a data-driven evidence base to support change.A limited range of products, including emollient bath oils, wash creams and moisturising creams and lotions can be prescribed in line with advice from the Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances. It is for the general practitioner and other responsible clinicians to work with their patient and decide on the course of treatment, with the provision of the most clinically appropriate care for the individual always being the primary consideration. Clinicians are accountable for their prescribing decisions, both professionally and to their service commissioners.

NHS: Pay

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS mangers are paid over (a) £80,000, (b) £130,000, (c) £200,000 and (d) £250,000 a year as of 1 September 2023.

Will Quince: The following table shows the headcount number of managers in the National Health Service with total earnings of over the requested amounts in the 12 months to the end of March 2023, the latest period available. These are total earnings, which include non-basic-pay elements such as overtime, geographic allowances, or on-call payments, though these will not make a significant part of managers earnings.RangeHeadcount£80,000 - £129,9998678£130,000 - £199,9991248£200,000 - £249,999149£250,000 and over58Source: NHS England Digital Earnings StatisticsNotes:Data is sourced from the ESR, which is the Human Resources and Payroll system used throughout secondary care by organisations in the HCHS. It includes staff working for NHS trusts, NHS foundation trusts, integrated care boards and central and support organisations in England.Data covers people in the staff groups of ‘managers’ and ‘senior managers’ as defined by their NHS Occupation Code. All managers/senior managers who need to be a qualified doctor, qualified nurse, qualified therapist, qualified scientist, or trained ambulance personnel should be coded in their professional staff group, for example as a nurse and are not included in these figures.If an individual worked in more than one managerial role over the course of the year the earnings are summed to give a person level total. Earnings for roles outside of management are not included.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of patients were waiting for NHS treatment as of 30 August; and what was the average waiting time for NHS treatment in August 2023.

Will Quince: The requested data for August 2023 has not yet been published. The most recent published data showed that the total waiting list for elective consultant-led treatment was 7.57 million in June 2023. For patients waiting to start treatment at the end of June 2023, the median waiting time was 14.3 weeks.

Cancer: Ealing Southall

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time between an urgent GP referral and the commencement of treatment for cancer for patients in Ealing, Southall constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is already taking steps to reduce cancer treatment waiting times across England. Reducing the time between an urgent general practitioner referral and the commencement of treatment for cancer for patients is a priority for this Government. The Department is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care’. The Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity.In the 2023/24 Operational Planning Guidance, NHS England announced that it is providing over £390 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances in each of the next two years to support delivery of the strategy and the operational priorities for cancer which includes increasing and prioritising diagnostic and treatment capacity for cancer.Additionally, the Government recently published the ‘Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework’ on 14 August, which sets out our approach to making the choices over the next five years that will deliver the most value in facing the health challenges of today and of the decades ahead, including cancer.

Medical Records: Databases

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of NHS Trusts in Plymouth, Devon, Cornwall and Torbay choosing different electronic patient record IT systems on the transfer of patient records between those systems.

Will Quince: Trusts choose electronic patient records systems based on an evaluation of the system that best meets their local needs through a competitive evaluation process, in line with public procurement regulations. The evaluation considers wider contextual factors such as the systems in place elsewhere in the integrated care board or nearby geography. The recently concluded procurement in Cornwall included an evaluation of the impact on near neighbours, including Devon, Plymouth, and Torbay, as one factors among many involved in determining the best fit for circumstances locally. Plymouth and Torbay are about to procure a system and like Cornwall, will follow a regulations compliant procurement taking account of systems nearby in arriving at their choice.

NHS: Contracts

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has (a) ethical and (b) reputational criteria that companies must satisfy to be awarded NHS contracts.

Will Quince: National Health Service bodies set their own policies on how to award contracts, but they must do so in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and central policy. The Government uses a standard selection questionnaire that requires suppliers to confirm they meet certain standards. Suppliers can be excluded for a variety of reasons, including where they are guilty of grave professional misconduct or where they have shown significant or persistent deficiencies in the performance under a prior public contract. Information on the policy relating to the Standard Selection Questionnaire is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-0323-standard-selection-questionnaire-sqFrom an ethical perspective this also includes references to Social Value, Modern Slavery and Carbon Reduction policies.

Integrated Care Boards: Finance

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of NHS England funding is expected to go to integrated care boards in the 2023-24 financial year; how much and what proportion of NHS England funding went to integrated care boards in the 2022-23 financial year; and how much and what proportion of NHS England funding went to clinical commissioning groups in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22 financial years.

Will Quince: The following table shows the total final allocation to integrated care boards (ICBs) and/or clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) for the financial years 2019/20 to 2022/23, plus the current annual allocation value as at month two for 2023/24. This includes all allocations to ICBs and/or CCGs, including core programme funding, services delegated to ICBs such as general practice and other primary care services, and additional allocations for specific service development and transformation programmes.The remainder of NHS England’s allocation, not allocated to ICBs, pays mainly for other National Health Service services and costs not commissioned by ICBs. This includes specialised services, vaccinations and screening, education and training, and other centrally managed NHS costs. Financial year2019/202020/212021/222022/232023/24£ million£ million£ million£ million£ millionCCG and/or ICB allocation89,730101,907115,007119,174123,880Total NHS England allocation (Non-ring-fenced RDEL)123,377149,473150,614158,521167,313 CCG/ICB allocation as % of total allocation73%68%76%75%74%

Cancer: Blackburn

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time between an urgent GP referral and the commencement of treatment for cancer for patients in Blackburn constituency.

Will Quince: The Department is already taking steps to reduce cancer treatment waiting times across England. Reducing the time between an urgent general practitioner referral and the commencement of treatment for cancer for patients is a priority for this Government. The Department is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care’. The Government plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity.In the 2023/24 Operational Planning Guidance, NHS England announced that it is providing over £390 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances in each of the next two years to support delivery of the strategy and the operational priorities for cancer, which includes increasing and prioritising diagnostic and treatment capacity for cancer.Additionally, the Government recently published the ‘Major conditions strategy: case for change and our strategic framework’ on 14 August 2023, which sets out our approach to making the choices over the next five years that will deliver the most value in facing the health challenges of today and of the decades ahead, including cancer.

Health Services: Women

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish information on his Department's planned FemTech Accelerator.

Will Quince: The Accelerating FemTech programme is led by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London, one of England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks. The pilot programme is part of the Biomedical Catalyst programme commissioned by Innovate UK.Accelerating FemTech supports innovators to boost development of technology solutions to address current challenges in women’s health. It is divided into two programmes. The first is a series of webinars and events on the FemTech challenge, which have taken place with summaries and recordings published on the HIN website. The second is a targeted 10-week accelerator programme, which started on 5 September. The programme impact will be measured and published next year by HIN.

Hospitals: Management

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take with NHS England to address potential gaps in communication between hospital management and frontline staff.

Will Quince: The People Promise provides a single framework for the National Health Service to talk about, understand, measure and improve employee experience across the NHS in England. There are national tools to support this such as the NHS Staff Survey and the National Quarterly Pulse survey which provide more insights. The NHS Staff Survey includes free text comments and supporting analysis for managers and boards to understand more directly the experiences and perspectives of individuals. Employers also typically arrange listening and engagement events to share the Staff Survey results with their staff, hear their ideas and share progress against measures taken during the year through a ‘You Said, We Did’ cycle. In 2022 NHS England published Listening Well guidance, supporting a shift to more structured listening. Listening initiatives can include events such as executive briefings with question and answer sessions and champions such as Freedom to Speak Up Guardians. The Government supports the right of staff working in the NHS to speak up and raise concerns and have put a range of support and protection in place, including strengthened legal protections to prohibit discrimination against workers and job applicants who have spoken up.We have also established a National Guardian to help drive positive cultural change in the NHS, who oversee a network of Freedom to Speak Up Guardians, covering every trust, whose role is to help and support staff who want to speak up about something in their organisation.

Scoliosis: Children

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of his policies for treating scoliosis in children.

Will Quince: The commissioning of care for scoliosis is coordinated by integrated care boards, which are best placed to plan the provision of services. NHS England directly commissions some specialised services. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance in 2022 on vertebral body tethering for idiopathic scoliosis in children and young people. Within this guidance, NICE recommends that this procedure should only be carried out in specialist centres by spinal surgeons with specific training in anterior spinal surgery.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average waiting time is for ADHD diagnosis for each constituency.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Rt hon. Member for Leeds Central on 5 April 2023 to Question 175511.

MMR vaccine

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy 2019.

Maria Caulfield: The Department remains committed to the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy and is supporting the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to refresh an implementation plan that includes short-, medium- and long-term actions related to key areas in the Strategy for England. The effectiveness of this strategy is continuously reviewed, including through regular publications of uptake data and attitudinal surveys.

Department of Health and Social Care: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Will Quince: We are working to improve access to digital services, outcomes, and experience for the widest range of people, based on their preferences. Patients unable to use digital channels can continue to access services via telephone and through traditional face to face services.Centrally built services, such as the NHS App and National Health Service website are designed to meet international accessibility standards. We are modernising the mobile experience within the NHS App ensuring information is optimally arranged, connected, and categorised.The NHS Service Standard ensures accessibility, providing guidance for digital teams to consider accessibility excluded groups. Additionally, our Accessibility Lab in Leeds aids staff in understanding access needs, further enhancing our digital services.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, of the claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations, how many claims made before 6 September 2023 failed because (a) causation was accepted but disablement was assessed at less than 60%, (b) there was a lack of causation and (c) any other reason.

Maria Caulfield: Data up to 6 September 2023 is not currently available. Since the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) took over administration of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme in November 2021, as of 1 September 2023, NHSBSA has 3,030 rejected COVID-19 claims. 2,809 were rejected due to lack of causation and 221 were rejected due to not meeting the 60% disability threshold. Separately, 192 claims were invalid as they did not meet the eligibility to apply under the Scheme, and therefore are not considered as rejected.

Health Services: Women

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Boost for women and girls as Women’s Health Strategy turns one published 22 July 2023, if he will publish the dates for future meetings of the network of women’s health champions.

Maria Caulfield: The next two meetings of the network of women’s health champions are currently scheduled for 3 October 2023 and 7 November 2023. Meetings beyond November are not yet scheduled.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, of the unresolved claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations as of 6 September 2023, how many were received (a) more than six months ago, (b) more than 12 months ago and (c) more than 18 months ago.

Maria Caulfield: Data up to 6 September 2023 is not currently available. As of 1 September 2023, of the unresolved claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to COVID-19 vaccinations, 1,009 were received six months or more ago, 379 were received 12 months or more ago and 135 were received 18 months or more ago.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many claims to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations up to 6 September 2023 were made on behalf of someone who had died; and, of that number, how many (a) were awarded, (b) were rejected and (c) are outstanding.

Maria Caulfield: Data up to 6 September 2023 is not currently available. As of 1 September 2023, the NHS Business Services Authority has received 539 COVID-19 vaccine related claims on behalf of someone who has died. Of these claims, 53 claimants have been informed they are entitled to a Vaccine Damage Payment, 199 have been rejected and 287 claims are outstanding.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Diagnosis

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to increase the efficiency of accessing ADHD diagnosis.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Rt hon. Member for Leeds Central on 5 April 2023 to Question 175511.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Ministerial Correction of 4 September 2023 to Question 11866 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, whether the average claim time is calculated from receipt of (a) the application or (b) the medical assessment in support of the application.

Maria Caulfield: The average time taken to process a claim to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme is calculated by the NHS Business Services Authority from receipt of the application to the claimant receiving notification of the outcome.

Health Services: Women

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's policy is on how Women’s Health Champions will be expected to provide updates (a) nationally and (b) to their Integrated Care Boards.

Maria Caulfield: The network of Women’s Health Champions brings together leaders in women’s health from every integrated care system in England. The network will facilitate collaboration and the sharing of best practice to support the implementation of the Women’s Health Strategy and improving women’s health outcomes and reducing health inequalities.The expectation is that Champions will therefore share information to their integrated care system partners on an ongoing basis, but there is no set format for them to do so.

Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme: Coronavirus

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, of the claims made to the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme relating to covid-19 vaccinations, how many requests for medical documents have been made as of 6 September 2023; and, of those requests, how many have been outstanding for more than three months.

Maria Caulfield: Data up to 6 September 2023 is not currently available. As of 1 September 2023, the NHS Business Services Authority is awaiting the provision of medical records for 2,706 COVID-19 related claims. Of these cases, 1784 claims have been outstanding for over three months.

Miscarriage

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish details of the Certificate of Pregnancy Loss pilot.

Maria Caulfield: As set out in the Government response in the Pregnancy Loss Review, the certificate will be tested with 1,000 bereaved families, who will be able to advise on the application process and receive a Certificate of Baby Loss. Subject to this testing, this process will enable the rollout of a certificate during International Baby Loss Awareness Week, from 9 to 15 October 2023.

Infectious Diseases: Vaccination

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what horizon scanning for vaccines against infectious diseases is conducted by (a) the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, (b) the UK Health Security Agency, (c) the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, (d) his Department and (e) NHS England; and whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of current approaches for supporting immunisation policy development and implementation.

Maria Caulfield: Horizon scanning at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) aims to future-proof the agency by identifying emerging opportunities and challenges, to ensure it remains an enabling regulator capable of supporting safe innovation with respect to healthcare products.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with national and international partners to assess the risks posed by infectious diseases. Horizon scanning for vaccines is conducted against disease threats identified by the National Security Risk Assessment. Other criteria covered in UKHSA’s horizon scanning for vaccines include the risk of an outbreak occurring, burden of disease and feasibility of vaccine development.UKHSA also works closely with global vaccine developers and manufacturers and with vaccine funders to ensure knowledge is constantly provided to support policy decisions on vaccine procurement and deployment.The Joint Committee for Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) identifies gaps relating to immunisations or immunisation programmes where further research and/or surveillance should be considered.NHS England works closely with JCVI, the Department and UKHSA to operationalise decisions made by Government on vaccinations and immunisation programmes across England.The Department provides investment through the National Institute of Health and Care Research Innovation Observatory in health innovation futures scanning. This provides awareness and access to intelligence to support national decision making around health care innovation, in particular supporting National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Accelerated Access Collaborative within the National Health Service.

Hospitals: WiFi

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients in NHS hospitals can access (a) free and (b) adequate wi-fi connectivity.

Will Quince: Through the NHS Wi-Fi programme, free Wi-Fi has been provided to over 8,000 centres of patient care, including hospitals.National Health Service trusts are responsible for ensuring adequate Wi-Fi connectivity across their estate.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has held discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence on the adequacy of the single technology appraisal pathway for the assessment of (a) innovative technologies and (b) advanced therapy medicinal products.

Will Quince: The Department regularly meets with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues. NICE’s technology appraisal programme has been proven to be suitable for the assessment of innovative medicines and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) where companies are able to price their products in a way that represents value to the taxpayer.NICE has recommended several ATMPs through its technology appraisal programme that are now available to patients in the National Health Service. NICE concluded a review of its methods and processes for health technology evaluation in January 2022 and has introduced changes that ensure that its appraisal processes are suitable for emerging new medicines, including a broader severity modifier and changes to better respond to uncertainty.

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which UK Government delegates will be attending the Europe Preparatory Meeting for the Tenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Turkey from 9 October 2023; and whether UK delegates plan to hold discussions on support for vaping and reduced risk products as an alternative to smoking at this meeting.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to decide on the UK’s position on vaping for the Europe Preparatory Meeting for the Tenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in Turkey from 9 October 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The WHO European Region preparatory meetings for the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control will take place virtually from 3 October to 4 October 2023.Members of the tobacco control team in the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will represent the United Kingdom at the preparatory meetings. It is Departmental policy not to name officials below Senior Civil Service grades who attend these events.The Government has regularly set out its position on vaping at the Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and we will do so at the next conference in November 2023 along with the preparatory meeting in October. The delegation will not agree to any decisions which would impact on our ability to make vapes available for adult smokers who wish to quit.

Sodium Valproate

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the proposed timescales are for the Patient Safety Commissioner review on sodium valproate.

Maria Caulfield: The Patient Safety Commissioner is expected to publish a report of her current work examining options for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate and pelvic mesh in early 2024. Ministers will consider the report’s findings before deciding how to proceed on this matter.

Mental Health Act 2007

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to bring forward legislative proposals to reform the Mental Health Act 2007.

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it remains Government policy to reform the Mental Health Act 1983.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timeline is for proceeding with the draft Mental Health Bill.

Maria Caulfield: The Government remains committed to reforming mental health legislation in England and will introduce a Mental Health Bill when Parliamentary time allows.

Allergies: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to adopt Allergy UK's Patient Charter as a plan for patient rights for people living with allergic conditions.

Will Quince: The majority of allergy services are commissioned locally by integrated care boards, with a small number of specialist allergy services for patients with complex and severe allergies commissioned nationally by NHS England. The service specification specifies that centres provide equity of access to best practice standards for diagnosis and management, based on current national and international guidelines.The Department and NHS England continue to engage with stakeholders, including Allergy UK, to understand the needs of people with allergies and how services could be improved. This includes patient and public voice membership in NHS England’s clinical reference group which provides clinical advice and leadership on specialised immunology and allergy services.

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: Screening

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of an in-service evaluation for spinal muscular atophy in the NHS on (a) patients and (b) patient families outside of the pilot area.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of opportunities available to the patient community to input into the (a) design and (b) delivery of the UK National Screening Committee’s upcoming in-service evaluation of spinal muscular astrophy screening in the NHS.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) ensure and (b) monitor the (i) introduction, (ii) delivery and (iii) completion of the in-service evaluation for spinal muscular atrophy screening in the NHS.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK National Screening Committee commissioning a cost-effectiveness modeling study for spinal muscular atrophy on the timeline for implementing newborn screenings across the UK.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made a comparative assessment of health inequalities for babies that have had access to newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy with those that haven't.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a permanent newborn screening programme for spinal muscular atrophy on the Government's Life Sciences Vision ambition to make the UK a world leader for (a) access and (b) uptake of new and innovative treatments and technologies.

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK not having a spinal muscular atrophy screening programme on the development of the UK life science sector.

Will Quince: The UK National Screening Committee reviewed screening for spinal muscular atrophy in June 2023. While acknowledging recent developments, it found that more evidence was needed to assess how screening might work safely in the United Kingdom.Its recommendation was to develop a new cost effectiveness modelling study for the UK screening context, as well as start scoping in-service evaluation work in live services in the National Health Service in the UK.Planning is now underway for the modelling and in-service evaluation, which will help to address these uncertainties and unanswered questions. The UK National Screening Committee will continue to engage with spinal muscular atrophy stakeholders to help shape and input into the work and will keep the public updated via blog articles and ongoing stakeholder engagement.

Endoscopy: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential barriers to reducing endoscopy waiting lists in the (a) Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System and (b) Vale of York.

Will Quince: £2.3 billion was awarded at the 2021 Spending Review to transform diagnostic services over the next three years, to increase diagnostic capacity, including for endoscopy services. This funding will also increase the number of Community Diagnostic Centres up to 160 by March 2025, including a number delivering endoscopy services.The Government has not made an assessment of the barriers to reducing endoscopy waiting lists in the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care System (ICS) and across the Vale of York. It is the responsibility of individual ICSs to work with NHS England to understand local barriers to delivering the required diagnostics services, including endoscopy and implement appropriate waiting list solutions based on local need.

Diseases: Research

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that early career researchers are supported in engaging in research on (a) diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma and (b) other similar diseases.

Will Quince: Brain tumour research, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma and similar diseases, remains a challenging scientific area, with a relatively small research community. We are working closely with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) in hosting customised workshops for researchers, and training for clinicians. These actions will grow capacity for brain cancer research, attracting new researchers, developing the community, and supporting researchers to submit high-quality research funding proposals.The National Institute for Health and Care Research and the TJBCM recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice.Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice.

NHS Trusts: Sexual Offences

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS trusts do not have a policy for tackling sexual assault and harassment.

Will Quince: The information requested is not collected centrally. National Health Service organisations are responsible for protecting their staff from sexual harassment and misconduct, and employers are expected to be proactive in their approach, listening to and acting on the concerns of staff and ensuring appropriate action is taken against perpetrators.On 5 September 2023, NHS England launched the health service’s first sexual charter to help protect staff from harassment and inappropriate behaviour. The charter is an agreement comprising of 10 pledges, including commitments to provide staff with clear reporting mechanisms, training and support from managers.

Diabetes: Drugs

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to tackle the shortages in supply of type 2 diabetes medications.

Will Quince: We are aware of a supply issue with glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) medicines, which has been largely driven by off-label use for weight loss. We have already issued guidance in the form of Medicine Supply Notifications and, on 18 July, issued a National Patient Safety Alert which made it clear that GLP-1 RAs, which are solely licensed to treat Type 2 diabetes, should only be used for that purpose and should not be routinely prescribed for weight loss.We have engaged with relevant regulators and the General Pharmaceutical Council, General Medical Council, Health and Care Professions Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council and Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland have issued a joint statement stressing the importance of health and care professionals meeting regulatory standards.We have also added Ozempic and other glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists to the list of medicines that cannot be exported from, or hoarded in, the United Kingdom.We are continuing to work closely with manufacturers and others working in the supply chain to help ensure the continued supply of these medicines for UK patients, for example by asking suppliers to expedite deliveries. We have provided advice for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients requiring this medicine whilst there are shortages and are keeping this under review as the situation evolves.

Health Services: Safety

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of clinical supervision on levels of safe clinical practice.

Will Quince: No assessment has been made. Individual employers are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to deliver safe and effective patient care.

NHS: Managers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to provide senior leaders in the NHS with Continuous Professional Development.

Will Quince: At an operational level, National Health Service organisations are responsible for supporting the personal and professional development of the staff they employ.We fully recognise the importance of strong and effective leadership across the NHS and the impact this can have on patient care and organisational culture. In June 2022, Leadership for a collaborative and inclusive future, a review led by General Sir Gordon Messenger was published. The review made seven recommendations to strengthen leadership and management across health and social care.The recommendations, which were accepted by the Government and are being taken forward by NHS England, will foster and replicate the best examples of leadership through improved training, career development and talent management, and through embedding inclusive cultures and behaviours within health and care.Recommendation 3 sets out the need for consistent management standards that will be delivered through accredited training and to include a single set of unified, core leadership and management standards for managers, with training and development bundles to meet these standards.

Health Services: Regulation

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) number of people directly employed by, (b) freelancers and (c) consultants in each of the health and care regulators in each of the last 10 years.

Will Quince: The Department does not hold information regarding the number of people employed, or the basis of that employment, within each health and care regulator. Healthcare regulators are independent from the Government.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access on (a) development of and (b) access to (i) Graft-versus-Host disease therapies, (ii) CAR-T therapies and (iii) other innovative therapies for rare conditions.

Will Quince: The voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS) includes strong commercial incentives to launch new products in the form of freedom of list pricing and exemptions from payments for innovative medicines containing a new active substance. At the mid-scheme review for the 2019 VPAS, the Department and NHS England concluded that the scheme had been effective in supporting patient access to innovative medicines.The terms of the successor to VPAS are subject to ongoing confidential negotiations. Supporting patient access to innovative medicines will continue to be one of the scheme’s objectives, alongside ensuring the affordability of National Health Service spend on medicines and supporting the life sciences sector and the wider economy.

Stem Cells: Transplant Surgery

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure cooperation between NICE and the pharmaceutical industry to provide all stem cell transplant patients with adequate access to new Graft-versus-Host Disease treatments.

Will Quince: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on the clinical and cost effectiveness of all new medicines and aims to publish guidance close to the point of licensing wherever possible. The NHS in England is legally required to make funding available for medicines in line with NICE’s recommendations. NICE works closely with pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders in the development of its recommendations on individual treatments.NICE is developing technology appraisal guidance on belumosudil for treating chronic graft versus host disease after two or more lines of systemic therapy and expects to publish final guidance in November 2023.

Physician Associates: Training

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of levels of (a) training and (b) supervision for physician associates in GP practices.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to bring forward legislation to regulate physician associates.

Will Quince: Both in training, and subsequently qualified practice, physician associates (PAs) must work with a dedicated medical supervisor which will be a consultant, general practitioner, or other senior medical personnel.PAs undertake two years of postgraduate training which involves supervised practice with real patients in clinical attachments. The dedicated medical supervisor is responsible for the supervision and management of a student’s educational progress throughout the clinical placements of the course. However, any professional in a placement location who is competent to do so may train, supervise, and assess a PA student in a particular skill, procedure, or competence. This includes practising PAs, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.The Government is progressing the required legislation which will the enable the General Medical Council (GMC) to regulate the PA role. We plan to lay legislation before the House at the end of 2023, which will allow the GMC to commence regulation by the end of 2024. Regulation by the GMC will provide a standardised framework of governance and assurance for the clinical practice and professional conduct of PAs.

Allergies: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate increases in the number of hospital admissions associated with (a) allergies and (b) anaphylaxis.

Will Quince: People with allergies continue to be supported through locally commissioned NHS services. For people with rare and complex allergic conditions, specialised allergy services are commissioned by NHS England in line with the published service specification.The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced a range of guidance to support the care of people with allergies, including recommendations on what information and support should be provided to the child or young person and their families to help manage one’s condition and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.On 1 October 2021, Natasha’s Law made it a legal requirement for food operators to display allergen labelling on food items pre-packed for direct sale, protecting those with allergies and giving them more confidence in the food they buy.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently considering how to improve the provision of information for people with allergies and are researching different approaches for the provision of written and verbal information to improve the accuracy and communications of allergen information. The FSA has recently commissioned several pieces of research in this area. These will provide new evidence on the nature and extent of food hypersensitivity reactions, different international approaches to written information, and the business operating models of small and micro businesses in the non-prepacked sector. These reports will be published in due course and will be presented to the FSA Board to consider next steps.In June 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published new guidance on the use adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), highlighting the latest safety advice on the steps to take during anaphylaxis. The new guidance includes a step infographic guide and video outlining the latest advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM’s) working group on the safe and effective use of AAIs. It includes an easy step-by-step guide on what to do in an emergency and provides updated advice on body positioning.

Ministry of Justice

Police and Prison Officers: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many assaults on prison officers there were in 2021-22; and how many and what proportion of prisoners sentenced to imprisonment for assaulting a prison officer in that period served their sentence concurrently with a sentence already being served.

Damian Hinds: The data on prison officer assaults is recorded in our published Safety in Custody Statistics.The number and rates of assaults on staff across the estates are published in the Safety in Custody Summary Table which can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1173764/Safety-in-custody-summary-q1-2023-final-tables.xlsx.Sentencing data does not produce a breakdown of types of emergency worker for all violent offences. Consequently, we are unable to confirm within cost what proportion of prisoners sentenced for assaulting prison officers served their sentence concurrently.However, the relevant sentencing guideline, issued by the independent Sentencing Council, makes clear that sentences for offences committed in prison will generally be served consecutively and, for any act of violence in prison custody, any reduction to take account of the principle of totality is likely to be minimal.

Prisons: Closures

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison wings closed (a) permanently and (b) temporarily due to staff shortages in each year since 2010.

Damian Hinds: Since 2010, there have been no permanent reductions in prison capacity due solely to staff shortages.Alongside issues such as safety, decency, and stability, staffing levels have been one factor in decisions to temporarily close wings between 2010-2022, although decisions during this period cannot be attributed solely or principally to staffing levels. All wings temporarily closed during this period have been returned to use.In May 2022, HMPPS introduced a Strategic Enhanced Resourcing Support process to authorise capacity reductions due to staffing levels where other mitigations are insufficient. Since the introduction of the process there have been a total of 6 temporary prison wing closures across 4 prisons (HMPs Wayland, Bullingdon, Woodhill and Swaleside) due to stability concerns linked to acute resourcing issues. At present, 2 wing closures remain in place at HMPs Woodhill and Swaleside.

Prison Officers: Pay

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendation by the Prison Service Pay Review Body to offer different paid contracts for Prison Officers on Fair and Sustainable rates and closed rates; and what steps he is taking to address disparities between the two pay structures.

Damian Hinds: In 2012, HMPPS introduced of a new common pay and grading structure called Fair & Sustainable (F&S) that applied to all new staff who joined the service after 1 April 2012 and existing staff who would benefit from opting into the modernised pay structures. This was a Workforce Policy decision and therefore not determined by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB). There are, however, still a group of staff employed pre-2012 who remain on legacy “closed” grade pay structures. The reason for this is that they would not benefit financially from “opting in” to F&S so they have been allowed to remain on legacy terms. This year, because of the Prison Service Pay Review Body recommendations, the majority of closed grade staff will financially benefit from opting into the Fair & Sustainable pay structures and we will encourage them to do so.

Prisoners' Release

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of criminal offences committed by prisoners on temporary release in the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: The table below shows the number of temporary release failures due to an alleged offence for the year 2022-2023 was 31.Temporary Releases 2022-23Total number of temporary releases386,435Number of temporary release failures(1)746Temporary release failures percentage of total releases0.19%of which, number where the failure was due to an alleged offence(2)31Failure due to an alleged offence percentage of total releasesless than 0.01%Data Sources and QualityThese figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System. Care is taken when processing and analysing returns but the detail is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. Although shown to the last case, the figures may not be accurate to that level.(1) A temporary release failure after a release on temporary licence (ROTL) occurs when a prisoner fails to adhere to any condition written into the licence that permits their temporary release. Such conditions include the date and time by which the prisoner is required to return to the prison and may also place restrictions on where the prisoner may go and whom they may visit during the period of release, etc.(2) The number of failures due to an offence is a count of the number of prisoners who have been arrested for an offence that allegedly took place during a period of ROTL, not the number of offences, one prisoner may have committed multiple offences while on temporary release.Public protection is our priority. All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment, involving all relevant agencies, before being considered for ROTL.By providing opportunities to work, learn and build family ties, temporary release from prison helps ensure offenders don't return to crime when they leave prison. Evidence shows the vast majority abide by their temporary release conditions, with the compliance rate standing at well over 99%. Non-compliance is, and will continue to be, dealt with robustly.

Prisons: Drugs

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many drug recovery wings have been opened in prisons since 22 July 2022.

Damian Hinds: As part of the ambitious cross-Government Drug Strategy, we are rolling out a wide range of interventions to support prisoners off drugs and into recovery. This includes testing a new approach to help prisoners with an opiate dependency achieve abstinence, through abstinence-focused Drug Recovery Wings. Seven of these are now open across the estate. Alongside this, we are increasing the number of Incentivised Substance-Free Living units, where prisoners commit to remaining free of illicit drugs with regular drug testing and incentives. We have more than doubled the number of these from 25 last summer to 60 now, aiming to reach up to 100 by March 2025.

Young Offenders: Women

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish the Young Women’s Strategy.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to consult with (a) young women with lived experience, (b) specialists and (c) women and girls’ organisations on the development of the Young Women’s Strategy.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Young Women's Strategy will include policies to help tackle (a) trauma, (b) gender, (c) age and (d) cultural challenges faced by young women.

Damian Hinds: The Young Women’s Strategy forms part of the Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan, which sets out what we will deliver over the period 2022-25. We do not yet have a specific publication date.We are running young women’s residential pilots in two women’s prisons: learning from these will inform the Young Women’s Strategy. We will also be engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including specialist organisations and young women with lived experience.The Female Offender Strategy Delivery Plan exemplifies the Government’s commitment to take a gender-specific and trauma-responsive approach that acknowledges the impact of neglect and abuse (as well as other forms of trauma) on health, mental health and behaviour. In developing the Young Women’s Strategy we will have due regard to issues of age and race.

Reoffenders

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to allocate sufficient resources to the prevention of repeat offences.

Damian Hinds: This Government is tackling the causes of reoffending to keep our communities safe. Between 2010/11 and 2020/21, the overall proven reoffending rate has decreased from 31.6% to 24.4%.We know that by helping offenders into skills training, work, and stable accommodation we can significantly reduce their likelihood of reoffending. Over the 3-year Spending Review, we are therefore investing in a range of interventions, including delivering our temporary accommodation service so that prison-leavers have a stable base on release, building stronger links with employers and offering more offenders the chance to work in prison and on release.We are also delivering probation Commissioned Rehabilitative Services which provide offenders with tailored, community-based support to address areas of need associated with reoffending.

Courts and Prisons: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2023 to Question 183039 on Courts and Prisons: Buildings, whether his Department has completed the work to identify buildings within the prison estate which may have been constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete; and whether that work included the examination of buildings opened between 1990 to 2000.

Damian Hinds: Departments have been asked to report on the current picture of suspected and confirmed Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in their estates as soon as possible. This will be updated on a regular basis as new buildings are identified and surveying and remediation are carried out. The Government published lists of education settings confirmed as having RAAC on Wednesday 6 September and committed to providing further updates.

Prisoners: Pregnancy

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the safety of pregnant women in prison.

Damian Hinds: In September 2021, the Ministry of Justice published a new Policy Framework on Pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) and Maternal Separation from Children up to the Age of Two in Women’s Prisons. The policy set out in the Framework was developed jointly with NHS England and NHS Improvement, and as a result of extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including women with lived experience, the children’s social care sector, academics and charities.Over £500,000 of additional funding was provided to better equip Mother and Baby Units and to support the introduction of a new liaison officer role. Pregnancy and Mother and Baby Liaison Officers have been recruited to all women’s prisons and multi-disciplinary care planning for pregnant women, based on their individual needs, is now compulsory. We have also introduced additional training for prison officers on the care of pregnant women in prison. All women are now provided with free telephone access to local NHS Pregnancy Advice Services and appropriate Social Services support: this includes any pregnant women who refuse to engage with ante-natal services.Under the policy, care planning based on individual needs is in place for all women identified as pregnant, regardless of the level of engagement. The policy explains how prison staff should support women not engaging with services. Operational guidance that accompanies the policy highlights specific barriers to engagement and how these might present, to enable staff to identify and address complex needs and ensure access to relevant support services.The policy can be found at the following link: Pregnancy, MBUs and maternal separation in women’s prisons Policy Framework - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Ministry of Justice: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Mike Freer: The current turnover rate across the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) (including HMPPS) is 12.5%, and in HMPPS this figure is 11.8%. There is a commitment in the Outcome Delivery Plan to bring this down to 10% controllable attrition.Across the MoJ, retention continues to be a priority. Retention strategies and toolkits have been in place since 2021, with guidance and support on addressing ten drivers of attrition, including leadership, induction and career progression. Exit interviews have also been in place since 2021 in HMPPS to determine the reasons for leaving with the data from these supporting to determine appropriate action at both a national and local level across the MoJ.

Ministry of Justice: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice handles Freedom of Information requests in accordance with the legislation and the Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) guidance.The Ministry of Justice receives some of the highest volumes of FOI requests compared to other government departments and consistently meets the ICO’s timeliness target of 90% and above. In the last five years, the Ministry of Justice has only fallen below the target in one quarter.In 2022, the Department received 4,406 FOI requests – the third highest across government departments. Of these 90% were responded to within the statutory deadline of 20 working days.To end June 2023 the MoJ has received 2,599 FOI requests and has responded to 93% of them within the statutory deadline.Despite consistently meeting the ICO’s timeliness targets, the department keeps processes under review. This includes running regular training and awareness sessions with departmental officials on the importance of the FOI regime and its obligations.

Animals: Abuse

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has held with the Sentencing Council on the adequacy of sentencing guidelines for people who have purchased online videos of the graphic torture of animals abroad.

Edward Argar: Ministers have not discussed the topic raised in this question with the Sentencing Council.Sentencing guidelines are developed by the independent Sentencing Council for England and Wales, in fulfilment of its statutory duty to do so. Where behaviours constitute a criminal offence, it is open to the Council to issue guidelines on factors that should be considered which may affect the sentence given. The Government cannot require the Council to develop or review particular guidelines.

Administration of Justice: Domestic Abuse

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Recommendation 6 of the report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner entitled The Family Court and domestic abuse: achieving cultural change, published in July 2023, if he will make funding available for specialist domestic abuse training for (a) members of the judiciary, (b) magistrates, (c) justices’ legal advisers, (d) Cafcass officials and (e) local authority social workers.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Recommendation 8 of the report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner entitled The Family Court and domestic abuse: achieving cultural change, published in July 2023, if he will make it his policy to (a) increase resources for the Qualified Legal Representative (QLR) scheme, (b) increase rates of pay for QLRs and (c) ensure that QLR advocates are able to recover (i) travel and (ii) other reasonable expenses.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to recommendation 2 of the report by the Domestic Abuse Commissioner entitled The Family Court and domestic abuse: achieving cultural change, published in July 2023, if he will make it his policy to introduce a domestic abuse best practice lead in every family court area.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the outcomes of the pathfinder courts pilot schemes in (a) North Wales and (b) Dorset; and if he will develop a plan to consolidate best learning from those schemes.

Mike Freer: The Government received the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s report “The Family Court and domestic abuse: achieving cultural change” on 18 July. We are considering the recommendations made and will publish a full response to the report shortly.With regard to the Pathfinder courts, monitoring and evaluation is ongoing across both pilot areas. We anticipate this will be concluded in spring 2024, at which stage we will consider how best to disseminate the lessons learnt.In May, we published an update on the Pathfinder pilots, outlining the early indicators of success and progress towards key policy goals. Early insights are positive, and the pilots are being well received in the local areas.

Probate: Applications

Ashley Dalton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time was to process a probate application in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps his Department is taking to reduce the average waiting time.

Mike Freer: The probate service received record levels of applications during 2022 and this has continued to grow with significantly higher levels of receipts during January to March 2023. Whilst HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand the training and upskilling of those new and existing staff has led to applications taking longer in the short term.HMCTS is focused on increasing outputs to reduce overall timeliness on all types of applications and the average mean length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, is 9 weeks during January to March 2023.Average waiting times for probate grants, are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to March 2023.

Summerland Leisure Centre: Monuments

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps with the Isle of Man Government to establish a memorial to the Summerland fire on that site.

Mike Freer: The Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown Dependency and this matter falls within the jurisdiction of the Isle of Man Government.  It would not be appropriate for the UK to intervene.I understand that the site of the former Summerland complex is clear and available for redevelopment and that there is a willingness on the part of the Isle of Man Government to support the inclusion of a memorial within any future redevelopment.An existing memorial, the Kaye Memorial Garden, which is very near to the Summerland site, was established on the 40th anniversary of the fire by Douglas Borough Council. The garden is recognised by Isle of Man Government as the national memorial site. This year, on the 50th anniversary, the Chief Minister, heads of emergency services, survivors and relatives of the victims gathered there to mark the occasion.

Probate: Applications

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average processing time was for probate applications by the Court and Tribunals Service for each quarter in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and the first and second quarter in (e) 2023.

Mike Freer: Average waiting times for probate grants, by calendar year and quarter, are available in table 24 of the Family Court Statistics Quarterly which is published on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2023.The probate service received record levels of applications during 2022 and this has continued to grow with significantly higher levels of receipts during January to March 2023. Whilst HMCTS has increased resources to meet the higher demand, the training and upskilling of those new and existing staff has led to applications taking longer in the short term.

Duty Solicitors

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, What steps his Department is taking to help ensure there are an adequate number of duty solicitors available across the criminal justice system.

Mike Freer: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning duty solicitor services and the day-to-day administration of the court and police station duty schemes. This includes keeping membership records, allocating slots and producing and maintaining duty solicitor rotas.At a national level, the LAA monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis and, where demand is greater than the available supply, takes action to secure additional provision to ensure the continuity of legal aid-funded services.The LAA is satisfied that there continues to be sufficient duty solicitor coverage across England and Wales. Provision under the duty schemes is demand led and so there may be variations in numbers across each local rota or other fluctuations in numbers depending on prevailing market conditions, and other internal factors such as firms merging or other consolidation activity.More generally in relation to criminal legal aid, on 30 November 2022, the government published its full response to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) setting out various proposals to ensure the long-term sustainability of the criminal legal aid sector.This followed the interim response to the CLAIR which introduced a 15% uplift across most fee schemes in line with the recommendations made in the Review. This funding began to come into effect from the end of September 2022, and we subsequently agreed to extend it to the majority of cases already progressing in the Crown Court. Following these reforms, an increase in expenditure of up to £141 million a year will take expected annual criminal legal aid spend to £1.2 billion.Overall, our ambitious reforms will deliver a stronger justice system for all who rely on it. They will reinforce a more sustainable market, with publicly funded criminal defence practice seen as a viable long-term career choice befitting of our world-class legal professionals.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the trends in the level of appeal submissions to the Road User Charging Adjudicator in the context of the decision of the Mayor of London to extend the Ultra Low Emission Zone; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing the operational capacity within the Road User Charging Adjudicator's office.

Mike Freer: The Road Traffic Act 1991 requires councils that operate decriminalised parking enforcement to fund the provision of parking adjudication. The Road User Charging Adjudicators comprise an independent tribunal which decides appeals against Congestion Charging, Low Emission Zone and Ultra Low Emission Zone penalties in London. The Adjudicators are supported by London Tribunals (a part of London Councils), and as such do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice.Further information about the Road User Charging Adjudicators is available at: www.londontribunals.gov.uk/.

Ministry of Justice: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice has not sponsored any inquiries in the last five years.

Ministry of Justice: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Mike Freer: Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to monitor legal accessibility compliance across the public sector and The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) monitors adherence to the Service Standard and Design Standard, all of which set out minimum requirements for user experience and accessibility and are formally monitored by CDDO through its Service Assessment process.The department has a Digital Accessibility team, which undertakes a variety of activities to help ensure accessibility is baked into digital products in line with these standards. We arrange accessibility audits against WCAG 2.1 to level AA, to assess compliance with legislation, and we provide a consultancy to help troubleshoot accessibility challenges throughout build. We also ensure that we are complying with wider regulations such as Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 In summary, we are determined to be an inclusive government department and exercise this through designing and delivering inclusive services. Where possible we design out barriers that users may face and, where they cannot, we develop support so that users can access our services. The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) leads the Government Digital and Data function; this includes setting strategy and direction for the improvement of digital services and understanding current performance. CDDO is working proactively with departments to ensure that public services meet the requirements set out in the framework, in order to move them to ‘Great’ standard. Our digital services in the MoJ are developed in line with these standards. Teams developing our digital services include User Researchers who conduct discovery research to understand the needs of users. They also carry out iterative cycles of research as the service is developed to ensure the service is easy to use, accessible and meets the user needs that have been identified. This research informs the ongoing user-centred design and development of digital service. In areas like HMCTS, we are also deploying leading edge solutions, in partnership with world leaders in the tech arena, to deliver continuous sustained benefits to the end user experience. Finally, our cyber risk teams ensure robust data security and privacy measures to protect user information thereby delivering a safe personalised experience to end users. In general, GOV.UK’s strategy aims to improve the overall user experience by making it quicker and easier for users to access information and services, in formats and channels of their choice.

Ministry of Justice: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Mike Freer: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Ministry of Justice.In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy, we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber-attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.

Ministry of Justice: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mike Freer: Departmental performance on Parliamentary Questions (PQs) is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. Details of the last session's PQ performance are available here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.html. This year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes. Every effort will be made to reply to PQs within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline. All departments have access to regular training led by the Parliamentary Capability Team through the Government Campus. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of PQs, and officials remain committed to providing the highest level of service. To complement the work of the Parliamentary Capability Team, the MoJ also runs tailored training sessions for staff specific to PQs to drive up the quality and timeliness of our responses. These sessions have been delivered multiple times in the past six months.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has held recent discussions with the Home Secretary on the potential impact of increases in the number of police officers on the adequacy of criminal legal aid provision.

Mike Freer: The Secretary of State for Justice and Home Secretary meet regularly to discuss matters pertaining to criminal justice. In September 2022 we boosted the system with immediate investment, including uplifts of 15% to most criminal legal aid fee schemes. The increases we have implemented, alongside longer-term reforms mean that criminal legal aid spending is expected to be up to £1.2 billion per year. The Legal Aid Agency keep legal aid provision under constant review, taking immediate action when gaps appear.

Criminal Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is his Department's policy to uprate criminal legal aid fees for (a) police stations, (b) Magistrates' Courts and (c) Youth Court fee schemes by 15%.

Mike Freer: In September 2022 we increased most legal aid fee schemes by 15%, including the police station scheme and the magistrates’ court scheme, which includes youth court work. We are investing a further £16m into the police station scheme over 2024-25, and a further £5m (in steady state) towards the Youth Court reforms. Our full set of proposals will mean we expect to invest up to an additional £141m per year.

Health and Safety: Trials

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on reducing court backlogs for health and safety cases.

Mike Freer: The number of outstanding cases for health and safety offences in the Crown Court has reduced. From a peak in the pandemic in 2021 of 144, the latest data shows the number of health and safety cases outstanding in the Crown Court is at 99, the lowest level since 2018. This data is a further breakdown of published data that can be found in the criminal court statistics quarterly publication, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2023. We want to make sure every victim has the swift access to justice they deserve, and we are working hard to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court. This includes removing the cap on the number of days courts can sit for the third year, recruiting more judges and extending the use of Nightingale Courts. Thanks to this action, the Crown Court sat for more than 100,000 days last year - the highest level since 2017-18, and in both June and July around 15% more cases were completed compared to the previous two months.

Coroners: Industrial Injuries

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average length of time taken to conclude inquests relating to work-related fatal injury.

Mike Freer: Information is not collated specifically on inquest conclusions relating to deaths resulting from work-related injury. Where other investigations are also required in relation to a death, these may impact on the length of the inquest process. The annual Coroner Statistics, which are published each May for the preceding calendar year, include data on the average time taken to process an inquest across all coroner areas in England and Wales. In 2022, this was 30 weeks – a decrease from 2021. Information for individual coroner areas is also available in the Statistics.

Ministry of Justice: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mike Freer: The Ministry of Justice attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence, particularly from Parliamentarians. The Ministry of Justice has a 15-day target for responses. With regards to timeliness of responses to enquiries received by members, the Cabinet Office published data on this for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data can be found here: Data on responses to correspondence from MPs and peers, 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of removing the legal aid means test for (a) survivors and (b) victims of domestic abuse in private family law proceedings.

Mike Freer: We have expanded the scope of family legal aid, delivering on our commitments to support victims of domestic abuse and special guardians to access legal aid. This means an increase in funding of £13m per year. We have also put in place an eligibility waiver for victims of domestic abuse applying for an injunction or other protective order, which means they can receive legal aid even if they would not otherwise pass the means test, though they may have to pay a financial contribution towards their legal costs.We will exclude assets such as the family home from the means test where they are the subject matter of the dispute or where coercive behaviour has denied applicants use of their shared marital assets, making it easier for domestic abuse victims to access legal aid. Domestic abuse victims in receipt of Universal Credit who are seeking a protective order will receive free legal aid for themselves and their children. These orders are uniquely linked to the safety of domestic abuse victims and their families. This means domestic abuse victims who are in receipt of Universal Credit will continue to have access to urgent injunctions regardless of their financial situation.

Ministry of Justice: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many visits he has made to Wales since his appointment.

Mike Freer: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Justice, has not made any visits to Wales in a departmental capacity since his appointment on 21 April 2023.

Duty Solicitors

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of available Duty Solicitors providing representation at police stations in (a) England and (b) London in each of the last five years.

Mike Freer: The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning duty solicitor services and the day-to-day administration of the court and police station duty schemes. This includes keeping membership records, allocating slots and producing and maintaining duty solicitor rotas. The LAA monitors membership across individual duty schemes. Information about duty solicitor volumes broken down by individual scheme is published as part of the LAA’s quarterly statistics. At a national level, the LAA monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis and, where demand is greater than the available supply, takes action to secure additional provision to ensure the continuity of legal aid-funded services. The LAA is satisfied that there continues to be sufficient duty solicitor coverage on the duty schemes operating across England, including in London. Provision under the duty schemes is demand led and so there may be variations in numbers across each local rota or other fluctuations in numbers depending on prevailing market conditions, and other internal factors such as firms merging or other consolidation activity.

Ministry of Justice: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Mike Freer: There are no current plans to visit Solihull constituency in a departmental capacity in 2023.

Magistrates' Courts: Trials

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases are currently awaiting trial in magistrates courts.

Mike Freer: The volume of outstanding ‘for trial’ cases at the magistrates’ courts is published as part of the National Statistics series ‘Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly’.The latest published data is available to March 2023 and can be found in Table M1 which is accessible at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2023.

Sentencing: Attendance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to mandate people who have been convicted of crimes to attend court for their sentencing.

Edward Argar: The Government appreciates that an offender’s refusal to attend their hearing can cause anger and upset for victims and their families. Offenders should be brought before the court to face the consequences of their crimes. On 30 August 2023, we announced our intention to introduce a new court order requiring an offender to attend their sentencing hearing. Any offender who refuses to attend will face an additional penalty with a maximum of 24 months’ custody. The measure will apply to all offenders convicted of an offence which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. In addition, we will include in legislation an express power for judges to require production of offenders for sentencing hearings, and for prison and escort staff to use reasonable force to produce the offender in appropriate circumstances. It will be a matter for judges to decide whether to issue such an order. Whilst many victims would want to see the offender present, we recognise that there will be circumstances where an offender’s presence may be distressing to victims and their families. Courts must have the discretion to do what is right in each case.

Crimes of Violence: Sentencing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to help ensure parity in sentencing for assaults on (a) police and (b) prison officers.

Edward Argar: When deciding what sentence to impose the courts take into account the circumstances of the offence, including the culpability of the offender, the harm they caused or intended to cause, and any aggravating and mitigating factors in line with any relevant sentencing guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council. The guidelines are designed to increase consistency and transparency in sentencing.The Council’s Totality guideline sets out that offences committed within a prison context should generally run consecutively to any sentence currently being served.The Government does not tolerate assaults against our emergency workers, including police and prison officers. That is why we doubled the penalty for assault of an emergency worker through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 from 12 months to two years’ imprisonment.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland,  what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office has not held policy responsibility for any public inquiries for the past 5 years.

Scotland Office: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Mr Alister Jack: During the past two years, the Scotland Office answered 100% of subject access requests received within the 30-day deadline set by the ICO. The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its performance.

Scotland Office: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Mr Alister Jack: The Scotland Office utilises a number of workforce management metrics including those relating to staff retention/turnover. Many of these can be found in our Annual Report and Accounts.The Scotland Office has a strong People Offer which aims to attract, train, develop, retain, promote and progress our people to fulfil their potential, meet our objectives and benefit the Civil Service.

Scotland Office: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Mr Alister Jack: In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber-attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.

Scotland Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mr Alister Jack: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions. There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet.This can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdf Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available.You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes. The Scotland Office make every effort to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions within original deadlines by ensuring strict internal deadlines are in place, regular guidance is issued to all staff and monthly corporate reporting.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many eligible Afghan nationals under (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan citizens resettlement scheme remained in (i) Afghanistan and (ii) Pakistan as of 4 September 2023.

Leo Docherty: Given the sensitivity of the security checks element of the process, we are unable to give precise numbers of individuals at each stage of the process.We recognise there is a desire to give specific numbers and details of each cohort and their positions throughout the process of resettlement. This is a dynamic picture, which changes daily. It would not be helpful for those in Afghanistan for us to give a running commentary on numbers, which could draw attention to those preparing to cross the border.For Pakistan, as of 4 September, there are circa 2030 ARAP eligible individuals, and circa 700 eligible individuals under ACRS Pathway 3.

Palestinians: International Criminal Court

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies on the International Criminal Court investigation into the situation in Palestine of recent developments in Jenin and Gaza.

David Rutley: The UK is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Court (ICC), and we respect the independence of the Court. We do not consider that the ICC has jurisdiction in this instance as the UK does not currently recognise Palestinian statehood. The recent cycle of violence and loss of life and situation on the ground demonstrates the urgent need to make progress towards peace. The UK remains committed to the Two-State Solution as the best way to bring peace and stability to the region and importantly between Israelis and Palestinians.

Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2023 to Question 193279 on Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill, whether his (a) officials or (b) Ministers provided their counterparts in the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities with a departmental view that the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill complied with the UK’s obligations under UN Security Council resolution 2334.

David Rutley: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office officials have been in regular contact with their counterparts at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities throughout the development of the Economic Activity of Public Bodies (Overseas Matters) Bill. FCDO advice to the DLUHC was that our assessment is that the bill is compliant with our responsibilities under UNSCR 2334.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on older people’s health care ahead of the United Nations High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in September 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to championing universal health coverage (UHC). In the 2019 Political Declaration on UHC, United Nations Member States committed to promote healthy and active ageing and to respond to the needs of ageing populations. We have been with other Member States to retain and build on that commitment at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting. We continue to work with country partners, civil society and global organisations such as the World Health Organization on integrated and equitable approaches to strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage that meet the needs of people of all ages.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) the Southern African Development Community, (b) the Commonwealth, (c) the African Union and (d) other partner organisations and states on coordination to help ensure the (i) freedom, (ii) fairness, (iii) transparency, (iv) credibility and (v) peacefulness of the election in Zimbabwe on 23 August 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: I engaged with a range of international and regional actors in advance of Zimbabwe's elections to underline the importance of their peacefulness and credibility. This included discussions with the Commonwealth Secretary General on 27 July and the Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia and Angola's Foreign Minister on 8 August. During my visit to the region in May, I discussed the elections with Zambian, Mozambican and South African Heads of State and Ministers and former President Chissano. I also underlined the importance of credible and peaceful elections during his meeting with President Mnangagwa on 5 May in the margins of the Coronation. The UK has consistently highlighted the importance of independent observation and we were pleased the European Union, African Union, Southern African Development Community and Commonwealth sent independent Election Observation Missions. These Missions have issued detailed preliminary statements which include findings on where the elections fell short of regional and international standards.

Vagif Khachatryan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information his Department holds on the alleged abduction of Vagif Khachatryan in Armenia by the border guard service of Azerbaijan; and if he will make a statement.

Leo Docherty: We are aware of the arrest of Armenian citizen Vagif Khachatryan by the State Border Service of Azerbaijan and continue to monitor the situation. The UK Government has been vocal about the importance of ensuring free movement along the Lachin Corridor, both in public and in private, including at the UN Security Council on 16 August.

Windsor Framework

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that representatives from the Executive Office in Northern Ireland who attend meetings of the Joint Consultative Working Group are briefed on the House of Lords European Affairs Committee report entitled The Windsor Framework, published on 25 July 2023.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government regularly engages with Northern Ireland officials on a range of issues, including with those who are part of the UK delegation at the Joint Consultative Working Group. While it is not for the UK Government to determine what reports or other materials Northern Ireland officials should consider, I [Minister Docherty] am of course happy to ensure that UK Government officials offer to brief their counterparts on the Committee's report of 25 July. Of course, were Northern Ireland power sharing arrangements operating as they should be, Executive ministers would be able to instruct their officials to request such briefings.

Hkalam Samson

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide consular supportto Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson during his imprisonment in Myanmar; and whether he has made representations to the authorities in Myanmar on this case.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK condemns the arbitrary detention of politicians, civil society members and journalists by the military regime, including the former President of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson. On 18 April, the UK Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief called for his immediate release and for the release of all those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar. Although the UK has had no political engagement with the military regime since the coup in February 2021, we will continue to call publicly for the military regime to release all those arbitrarily detained. British Embassy Yangon is monitoring the case closely. The FCDO provides consular assistance to British nationals overseas, we do not provide assistance to foreign nationals outside the UK.

Sri Lanka: Water Supply

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help the Sri Lankan authorities manage the potential impact of the Chunnakam power plant complex on the local water supply.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government is aware of the challenges Sri Lanka faces around water management and quality, and the unique challenges faced by communities in Northern Sri Lanka.  A number of public bodies in Sri Lanka, including the national water supply and drainage board, have conducted tests and compensation has been offered to those affected by water pollution caused by the Chunnakam Power plant. Officials from the British High Commission Colombo regularly visit the Northern province and meet with a wide range of stakeholders raising the issue with local government where appropriate. We will continue to engage with the authorities in support of clean water provision.

Hkalam Samson

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Myanmar counterpart on the imprisonment of Reverand Dr Hkalam Samson.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK condemns the arbitrary detention of politicians, civil society members and journalists by the military regime, including the former President of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC), Reverend Dr Hkalam Samson. On 18 April, the UK Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief called for his immediate release and for the release of all those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar. Although the UK has had no political engagement with the military regime since the coup in February 2021, we will continue to call publicly for the military regime to release all those arbitrarily detained.

Singapore: Capital Punishment

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Singapore on preventing capital punishments in that country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: It is the longstanding policy of the UK Government to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances. We continue to urge all countries that retain the death penalty to impose a moratorium on executions as the first step towards the abolition of the death penalty. As such, the Government raises our opposition to the death penalty with the Government of Singapore on a regular basis.

Nnamdi Kanu

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when was the most recent contact between UK consular representatives and Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria; whether he has received recent representations about Mr Kanu’s health and wellbeing; and whether he has held recent discussions on Mr Kanu’s case with his counterparts in Nigeria.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO officials continue to provide consular support to Mr Kanu, and visited him most recently on 15 August 2023. Consular officials also remain in regular contact with representatives of Mr Kanu in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr Kanu's case with the then Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs on 14 March 2023. The British High Commissioner in Abuja also raises his case regularly with the Nigerian authorities, most recently in July 2023.

Taiwan: Foreign Relations

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190783 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Taiwan: Foreign Relations, if he will identify which minister represented his Department for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021, (e) 2022 and (f) 2023; and if he will identify the (i) job title and (ii) grade of the most senior official who represented his Department when a minister was not present for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (A) 2018, (B) 2019, (C) 2020, (D) 2021, (E) 2022 and (F) 2023.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: There have been no meetings between ministers from this Department and Taiwan in the years 2018 to 2023. The Department has had regular official level meetings with representatives of the Taiwanese administration during this period, both in the UK and through the British Office in Taipei, in line with our longstanding policy on Taiwan.

Niger: Military Coups

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of the coup in Niger on international security.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns in the strongest possible terms attempts to undermine democracy, peace and stability in Niger. As seen in Mali, Burkina Faso, and now Niger, the erosion of democracy exacerbates conflict, violence, and instability. HMG assess that terrorist violence in Niger is highly likely to increase in the next 24 months as a result of the coup alone. This may have knock-on impacts for regional security. The UK continues to closely monitor the terrorist threat from the Sahel, and its impact on littoral West Africa and North Africa. The UK has proscribed Al Qaeda and its associated groups such as Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

Niger: Military Coups

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his French counterpart on the escalating political situation in Niger.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK condemns in the strongest possible terms attempts to undermine democracy, peace, and stability in Niger. We continue to stand by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and their efforts to pursue all means to bring about a peaceful resolution. We are also engaging with partners including the French. The Foreign Secretary spoke to his counterpart, the French Foreign Secretary, Catherine Colonna, in August, and Ministers and officials are in continued discussions with our French counterparts in relation to the political situation in Niger and the wider region. We liaised effectively over the voluntary departures of 14 UK nationals from Niger last month with the help of the French who organised evacuation flights.

Taiwan: Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take diplomatic steps to support Taiwan’s application to join CPTPP.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has welcomed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) members' willingness to expand the group. Membership is open to all economies willing and able to meet the high standards of the agreement, and with a demonstrated pattern of complying with their trade commitments. The UK's priority now is the key parliamentary processes needed to take place before the deal can be ratified, and we will not be commenting on the specifics of Taiwan or any other economies' interest in the agreement.

Armed Conflict: Human Rights

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2417.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK champions UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2417 on conflict and hunger which enables reporting and early warnings to the UNSC when parties to conflict are blocking access to humanitarian support and destroying assets. It is a UK priority to prevent conflict-induced hunger and famine, and we use our seat at the UNSC to implement 2417 and urge swift action when a white note is submitted to the UNSC. On 23 May, the Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia, Commonwealth and UN, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, called for improved implementation of 2417 at the UNSC open debate on protection of civilians in armed conflict.

Kenya: Violence

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of recent violence in Kenya.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK regrets the loss of life and destruction of property during recent demonstrations in Kenya. The UK is following events closely and continues to urge all parties to engage in dialogue and resolve their differences peacefully.

China: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Affairs, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of (a) a blockade and (b) an invasion of Taiwan on the economy.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK's longstanding position on Taiwan has not changed. The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. The Government is continually working to strengthen the UK's contingency planning across a range of international challenges, including threats to global supply chains. The Integrated Review Refresh outlines clearly and in detail our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific; and sets out how we protect UK interests including our economy and supply chains.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken a review of the legitimacy of the ballot in the Zimbabwe national elections held on 23 August.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Whilst we commend the people of Zimbabwe for demonstrating patience and resilience in exercising their democratic rights, and especially for maintaining a peaceful atmosphere on election day and beyond, we share the view of the Election Observation Missions' preliminary statements that the pre-election environment and election day fell short of regional and international standards. Issues included limited transparency from the electoral commission, the lack of level playing field, the passing of repressive legislation, long delays in the opening of some polling stations and reports of intimidation of voters. The UK takes note of the announcement by the Chair of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of results on 26 August. However, we are concerned by a lack of transparency in the tallying of results, as well as the arrests of domestic observers.

Gabon: Military Coups

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Commonwealth Secretary-General on recent political events in Gabon.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK echoes the African Union's condemnation of the unconstitutional military takeover of power in Gabon and calls for the restoration of constitutional government, in line with the Commonwealth Charter.I have held discussions with African counterparts on recent political events in Gabon during my recent visit to Rwanda and Kenya. I have also spoken with the Commonwealth Secretary-General about the situation. UK officials are closely monitoring the situation and working closely with Commonwealth partners on next steps.

Gabon: Military Coups

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the African Union on recent political events in Gabon.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK echoes the African Union's condemnation of the unconstitutional military takeover of power in Gabon and calls for the restoration of constitutional government, in line with the Commonwealth Charter.I have held discussions with African counterparts on recent political events in Gabon during my recent visit to Rwanda and Kenya. I have also spoken with the Commonwealth Secretary-General about the situation. UK officials are closely monitoring the situation and working closely with Commonwealth partners on next steps.

Nnamdi Kanu

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2022 to Question 45513 on Nnamdi Kanu, whether his Department has provided consular assistance to Mr Kanu in the last 12 months; and what recent discussions he has had with his Nigerian counterpart on Mr Kanu's case.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: FCDO officials continue to provide consular support to Mr Kanu, and visited him most recently on 15 August 2023. Consular officials also remain in regular contact with representatives of Mr Kanu in the United Kingdom and in Nigeria. The Foreign Secretary raised Mr Kanu's case with the then Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs on 14 March 2023. The British High Commissioner in Abuja also raises his case regularly with the Nigerian authorities, most recently in July 2023.

Busharo Ali Mohamed

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in Somaliland on Busharo Mohamed Ali.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO supported a British woman who was detained in Somaliland, and raised her case with the local authorities at the highest level, including President Bihi.

British Overseas Territories: Girlguiding UK

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with Girlguiding UK on their decision to end operations in British Overseas Territories.

David Rutley: The UK maintains strong cultural links with the Overseas Territories and our continuing partnership bring benefits to the UK and to the Territories. The Government shares the disappointment felt in the Overseas Territories at the decision of Girlguiding UK to end support for British Girlguiding Overseas operations. We are continuing discussions with Girlguiding UK, together with Department for Culture, Media and Sport as the lead Department, and the Ministry of Defence, on how Girlguiding in the Overseas Territories can continue to be supported.

Niger: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals requested consular assistance in Niger in the last three months.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Our current case management system does not enable us to isolate cases from within Niger. However, in the recent crisis response in Niger we provided support to 24 British nationals.

Niger: Military Coups

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to support British nationals in Niger in the context of the escalating political situation.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO advises against all travel to Niger and our ability to provide consular support is severely limited. British nationals in Niger in need of assistance should contact the FCDO on +234 (1) 277 0782 or online. They should also sign up to get email notifications when travel advice is updated.

British Overseas Territories: Marine Protected Areas

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much and what proportion of the UK’s commitment to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030 will be met by marine protected areas around the UK Overseas Territories.

David Rutley: The Blue Belt supports the protection of 4.3 million square kilometres, representing around 65 per cent of British waters. This protection represents approximately 90 per cent of the UK's commitment to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030.

South Africa: Homicide

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of rural landowners murdered in South Africa in each of the last five years.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: President Ramaphosa has publicly acknowledged that the issue of farm murders is of great concern to the government of South Africa and has sought to tackle the issue through the National Rural Safety Strategy (NRSS). The UK raises issues during our engagements with the South African authorities where necessary, and in particular, where UK nationals are involved. We also regularly work with South African law enforcement, providing training, capacity building and support links between our legal systems. The South African Government publishes its own criminal data which is publicly available.

Development Aid: Climate Change

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the implications for its policies of the Summit for a new global financing pact, held in Paris from 22 to 23 June 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: I [Minister Mitchell], represented the PM at the Paris Summit. The Summit generated additional political momentum on issues relating to International Financial System reform, giving developing countries a visible platform to put across their priorities. In response to such priorities, the UK held a prominent side-event which launched a call to action on 'Climate Resilient Debt Clauses' (CRDC). CRDCs can enable developing countries to pause repayments on loans if disasters strike. This builds on UK Export Finance (UKEF) becoming the first export credit agency in the world to introduce CRDCs into its loan agreements which was announced at COP27 in 2022. The side-event at Paris included starting a tally of commitments from other countries and Multilateral Development Banks which continues to grow and was a prominent outcome of the Summit.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Travel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the data on Ministerial travel, October to December 2022, last updated by his Department on 3 April 2023, how much of the £10,379.20 cost for a visit by the former Minister for the Americas and the Overseas Territories to Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands from 24 to 28 October 2022 was used for flights.

David Rutley: A total of £9572.08 and $299.50 was used for flights by the former Minister for the Americas and Overseas Territories to Jamaica and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Foreign travel is a vital part of diplomacy. It is in the national interest that the Foreign Secretary, and other Ministers travel abroad to pursue UK interests, developing international relationships through closer economic, security and development ties. This has been the case under successive administrations of all parties.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle unlawful fishing in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands.

David Rutley: As a self-governing UK Overseas Territory, the Falkland Islands Government is responsible for managing the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Falkland Islands, including managing fisheries in a way that maintains healthy fish stocks. The Falkland Islands Government operates a Fisheries Protection Vessel - the FPV Lilibet - to prevent illegal fishing in their territorial waters and the Falkland Islands Government Air Service conducts regular aerial patrols of the EEZ. HMG officials have a good working relationship with the Falkland Islands Government on issues of mutual interest, including the fishing occurring in its national waters and the international waters near its EEZ.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Fisheries

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of industrial fisheries on the (a) penguin and (b) whale populations around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

David Rutley: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) manages a highly regulated fishery, in accordance with its Marine Protected Area legislation. Only vessels which fully meet requirements of both the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and strict GSGSSI licensing requirements are able to conduct fishing activities. Scientific observers are deployed on every fishing vessel, and there are seasonal and spatial controls to ensure the fishery does not impact on the conservation of all animals living around these islands.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to strengthen the marine protected area around (a) the South Sandwich Islands and (b) South Georgia.

David Rutley: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is currently undertaking the second 5-year review of its Marine Protected Area (MPA). GSGSSI launched the review with a 2-day science symposium in June 2023 and is currently assessing the extent to which existing provisions are delivering the objectives of the MPA. GSGSSI is committed to reporting on its review by early next year.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

David Rutley: We do not hold central records on average response times and this could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.However, the Procedure Committee publishes a report on departmental performances using Table Office data at the end of each session. The latest report can be found here [https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/126/procedure-committee/publications/reports-responses/]. The FCDO responded to 4,550 Commons PQs in the 2020 - 2021 session, answering 94 per cent of Ordinary questions on time and 89 per cent of Named Day questions on time.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Temporary Employment

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on temporary staff in the last three financial years in support of the FCDO Integration programme following the merger of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development.

David Rutley: The creation of the FCDO brought together our development and diplomatic expertise to deliver greater impact for the UK internationally. The merger has required all FCDO staff across the department to work in different ways. Spend on temporary staff within the FCDO is largely driven by the nature of the projects being undertaken and the expertise required. At a high level, temporary staff costs over the last three financial years are associated to IT and digital activity, priority programmes and merger activity where temporary and specialist expertise has been needed to ensure delivery. These costs are set out in the FCDO Annual Reports for the previous three financial years: 2022-232021-222020-21Temporary staff costs49,105,281£39,575,855£25,679,267

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Temporary Employment

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department has spent on temporary staff in each of the last five years.

David Rutley: Spend on temporary staff within the FCDO are set out in the FCDO Annual Reports for the previous three financial years: 2022-232021-222020-21Temporary staff costs£49,105,281£39,575,855£25,679,267

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: ICT

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department spent on temporary staff in the last three financial years in support of the Hera programme.

David Rutley: The need for temporary staff within the FCDO is largely driven by the nature of the projects being undertaken and the expertise required. At a high level, costs for temporary staff are associated to IT and digital activity, which includes supporting the implementation of the HERA programme, priority programmes and merger activity where temporary and specialist expertise has been needed to ensure delivery. Information on the cost of temporary staff specifically for the HERA programme is not centrally held and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Overall temporary staff costs are set out in the FCDO Annual Reports for the previous three financial years:[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019938/FCDO_annual_report_and_accounts_2020_to_2021_accessible.pdf][https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1095304/FCDO_Annual_Report_2021_2022_Accessible_290722.pdf][https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170838/Foreign-Commonwealth-and-Development-Office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023.pdf]

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

David Rutley: The FCDO attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions (WPQs). The department has an established central team dedicated to responding to WPQs accurately and within Table Office deadlines.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 47 of the 2022 Human Rights and Democracy Report published in July 2023, for what reason his Department removed Bahrain from the list of human rights priority countries.

David Rutley: The decision to remove Bahrain from the Human Rights Priority Country list reflects consistent and systemic progress in a range of human rights areas over a number of years, some of which have been directly supported by the UK. The UK remains committed to supporting reforms in Bahrain and to encouraging the government to meet its human rights commitments.

Falkland Islands: Fisheries

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of seabed mining in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands on the local fishing industry.

David Rutley: As a self-governing Overseas Territory, responsibility for economic development, including any potential seabed mining, is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government, in accordance with all relevant laws. The UK Government supports the right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit. This is an integral part of their right of self-determination. The UK Government continues to work closely with the Falkland Islands Government in a wide range of areas, including offering access to UK expertise when requested.

Blue Belt Programme and Marine Protected Areas

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much funding the Government has provided to the (a) Blue Belt programme and (b) Marine Protected Area rollout in each of the last three years.

David Rutley: From 2020-21 to 2022-23, Blue Belt spend has been £6.9 million, £7.7 million and £7.7 million respectively. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) does not keep the detail of funding specifically devoted to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Defra's MPA team is funded through general administrative budgets to deliver management, monitoring and enforcement working alongside Defra's Arms Length Bodies.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Fisheries

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of industrial fisheries on the (a) penguin and (b) whale populations around the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

David Rutley: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) manages a highly regulated fishery, in accordance with its Marine Protected Area legislation. Only vessels which fully meet requirements of both the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and strict GSGSSI licensing requirements are able to conduct fishing activities. Scientific observers are deployed on every fishing vessel, and there are seasonal and spatial controls to ensure the fishery does not impact on the conservation of all animals living around these islands.

Blue Belt Programme

Selaine Saxby: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what cost-benefit analysis has been conducted of departmental funding for the Blue Belt programme since its creation in 2012.

David Rutley: The Blue Belt initiative was launched in 2016 and has invested over £40 million in enhancing the protection of waters around the UK's Overseas Territories (OT). Over 4.3m square kilometres is designated as protected waters and the Blue Belt supports the OTs on management, monitoring, surveillance and enforcement - less than £10 per protected square kilometre to date. The Blue Belt programme has also raised awareness of the value and global significance of OT waters and contributes to the delivery of the global target to protect 30% of the world's ocean by 2030.

Abbas Deris

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterparts in Iran on Abbas Deris.

David Rutley: Whilst we welcome recent reports that Iran's high court has suspended Mr Deris' execution while it reviews his appeal, we are aware this could be reversed. Since October 2022, the UK has imposed more than 80 new sanctions in response to human rights violations by Iran, including those involved in unfair trials and the imposition of the death penalty. We raise Iran's use of the death penalty regularly in London and through our Ambassador in Tehran. On 5 July we initiated a joint-statement against the death penalty in Iran, co-signed by 54 countries. On the same day, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon also issued a statement reiterating calls for a moratorium on executions.

Blue Belt Programme and Marine Protected Areas

Sir Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much has been spent from the public purse on the (a) Blue Belt Programme and (b) domestic Marine Protected Area roll out around the UK in each of the last five years.

David Rutley: From 2018-19 to 2022-23, Blue Belt spend has been £7 million, £5.4 million, £6.9 million, £7.7 million and £7.7 million respectively. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) does not keep the detail of funding specifically devoted to Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Defra's MPA team is funded through general administrative budgets to deliver management, monitoring and enforcement working alongside Defra's Arms Length Bodies.

Scotia Sea: Fisheries

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help mitigate the impact of industrial krill fishing on the baleen whale population in the Scotia Sea.

David Rutley: The UK is actively engaging through the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) to develop a krill risk assessment framework to enhance protection for all krill-eating species, including baleen whales across the Scotia Sea region. Through its Marine Protected Area, the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands imposes additional restrictions on the krill fishery within its waters, including restricting fishing to the winter around South Georgia to prohibit fishing during the most important seasons for krill-eating species, prohibiting fishing within 30km of land, and keeping the South Sandwich Islands closed to krill fishing.

Iran: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals requested consular assistance in the Islamic Republic of Iran in the last 12 months.

David Rutley: According to our consular case management system, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has provided consular assistance in 24 new cases relating to Iran in the last 12 months.

Syria: British Nationals Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of British nationals who are resident in Syria.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals were kidnapped in Syria in each of the last five years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British nationals requested consular assistance in Syria in each of the last five years.

David Rutley: Since 2012 the FCDO has advised against all travel to Syria and we advise British Nationals in Syria to leave by any practical means. Consular support to British nationals is not available from within Syria. Nevertheless, each request for consular assistance is considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all relevant circumstances. The FCDO does not collect data on the number of British nationals residing overseas, and there is no requirement for British travellers or residents to register with us when they go overseas. Consular data on assistance provided to British nationals worldwide is published on gov.uk.

Paradise Golf and Beach Resort

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with his Moroccan counterpart on the Paradise Golf Resort development in Tangiers, Morocco and potential redress for British investors.

David Rutley: The UK remains committed to providing support where possible to the British investors who lost their investments in the Atlantic Paradise Golf & Beach Resort (APGBR) project. Although strictly a legal matter for the Moroccan courts, His Majesty's Ambassador to Morocco regularly raises the issue of compensation with senior Moroccan interlocutors. On 7 July he met the Wali of Tangier and the President of the Commercial Court of Tangier to specifically discuss APGBR. These meetings were constructive but not conclusive. We will continue to urge the Moroccan authorities to find a speedy resolution to this dispute.

Paradise Golf and Beach Resort

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support his Department is providing to British citizens who lost investments in Paradise Golf and Beach Resort.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer on 27 April 2023 to Question 182319, what the outcomes of the meetings were with Moroccan officials.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last met with representatives of the Moroccan Government.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of British citizens that have lost investments in the Paradise Golf and Beach Resort.

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the total sum of lost investments made by British citizens in the Paradise Golf and Beach Resort.

David Rutley: The UK remains committed to providing support where possible to the British investors who lost their investments in the Atlantic Paradise Golf & Beach Resort (APGBR) project. Although strictly a legal matter for the Moroccan courts, His Majesty's Ambassador to Morocco regularly raises the issue of compensation with senior Moroccan interlocutors. On 7 July he met the Wali of Tangier and the President of the Commercial Court of Tangier to specifically discuss APGBR. These meetings were constructive but not conclusive. We will continue to urge the Moroccan authorities to find a speedy resolution to this dispute.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect and promote freedom of religion and belief in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: Promoting the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all is one of the UK's longstanding human rights priorities. On 16 August, the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of Pakistan's Christian community following the attacks in Jaranwala. On 6 September Lord Ahmad publicly condemned the most recent attack on an Ahmadiyya mosque in Karachi. He has called for those responsible for attacks on religious minorities to be brought to justice. On 6 September Lord Ahmad condemned these attacks in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Leo Docherty: It has been the long-standing practice of successive Governments not to comment on security related matters.

Rhodes: Fires

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has held with his counterpart in Greece on the wildfires in Rhodes.

Leo Docherty: When the wildfires first broke out, the Foreign Secretary sent his condolences to Foreign Minister Gerapetritis and thanked the Greek Government for their support to British nationals in Rhodes. The Defence Secretary also discussed the wildfires during Greek Defence Minister Dendias' visit to London. In parallel, His Majesty's Ambassador to Greece held frequent high-level engagement with Greek Ministers, senior officials, and local authorities on wildfire risks across Greece.

Rhodes: Fires

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to support the repatriation of UK citizens who were on holiday in Rhodes during the wildfires.

Leo Docherty: In response to the wildfires in Rhodes over the summer, the FCDO stood up the Crisis Response Centre and quickly deployed a Rapid Deployment Team to Rhodes. The Rapid Deployment Team and Consular Officers from our network in Greece assisted British nationals and liaised with Greek authorities and travel operators, whose commercial flights continued to operate throughout. The FCDO was, and remains, in regular contact with the Greek authorities. Our diplomatic posts monitor the risk of wildfires and impact on British Nationals globally. British nationals in need of consular assistance can call our 24-hour consular contact centre.

Ukraine: Telecommunications

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the telecommunications sector in Ukraine.

Leo Docherty: The FCDO is providing short and long-term support to help Ukraine defend itself, secure its free and democratic future, and deter future Russian aggression. Sustaining telecommunication connectivity, especially through space capabilities, is critical to delivering a coordinated response and supporting humanitarian efforts. The UK has supported and will continue to support Ukraine to maintain and rebuild their telecommunications network. The Ukraine Recovery Conference mobilised partners across the international community and the private sector in support of Ukraine, and Ukrainian telecommunication companies attended.

Ukraine: Investment

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has held with his Ukrainian counterpart on attracting private investment into Ukraine to provide support for (a) development and (b) the military.

Leo Docherty: The Foreign Secretary is committed to attracting business investment and mobilising private sector potential to help Ukraine to win the peace and build back a modern, open, green, and resilient country. The Foreign Secretary chaired numerous panels at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in London, which included the Prime Minister of Ukraine, First Deputy President of Ukraine, and Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau. These panels focused on the private sector's role in reconstruction and need for continued progress on reforms as essential for attracting private investment. The Foreign Secretary announced up to £240 million of UK bilateral assistance at the URC for 2023/24 demonstrating our ongoing commitment to Ukraine's recovery and reconstruction.

Pakistan: Christianity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he will make representations to his counterpart in Pakistan to remove academic content that may incite violence against Christians from the school curriculum.

Leo Docherty: We continue to engage on the critical need for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in schools. The UK has supported initiatives to review the National Curriculum of Pakistan, providing technical assistance to Pakistan to create a more inclusive curriculum and textbooks. At Pakistan's Universal Periodic Review in January, the UK formally recommended that Pakistan ensure school textbooks are inclusive of all religions and ensure religious minorities can access suitable alternatives to compulsory Qu'ranic studies.

Pakistan: Violence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Pakistan on holding to account the people responsible for violence in Jaranwala.

Leo Docherty: The UK strongly condemns the recent violence against the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab. We continue to monitor the human rights situation in Pakistan closely and regularly raise the issue at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, spoke with the Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada on 27 June to emphasise the importance of peaceful democratic processes, human rights and adherence to the rule of law. On 16 August, Lord Ahmad wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of Pakistan's Christian community at this worrying time. He has publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice. Lord Ahmad also met with the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Pakistani Minorities on 5 September and condemned the attacks in Jaranwala.

India: Development Aid

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has reassessed its policy on the provision of official development assistance to India, in the context of the Indian Government's spending on space exploration.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has reassessed its position on providing aid to India in the context of Indian government spending on space exploration.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: India's space exploration programme, including its recent moon landing, makes a valuable contribution to the international scientific community.The British Government stopped providing traditional development aid to India in 2015.Most UK funding to India is now in the form of business investments which help India reduce carbon emissions and address climate change. These investments have the dual aims of supporting development and backing private enterprises with the potential to be commercially viable so that the British Government can then reinvest in India or elsewhere.

Sherwan Sherwani

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2023 to Question 187387 on Iraq: Political Prisoners, whether he plans to make further representations to the Kurdistan regional government in Iraq following the extension to the prison sentence of journalist Sherwan Sherwani.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government remains committed to pressing the case for improvements in the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and to advocating for human rights for all, including in relation to freedom of expression and the freedom for journalists to do their jobs free from harm.The UK Government, through our Consulate General in Erbil, takes a close interest in the treatment of journalists and human rights activists in the KRI, and they are monitoring the case of Mr Sherwani.We have always been clear that journalists and political activists should be free to operate without undue interference from security forces or fear of indefinite detention.

Cyprus: Foreign Relations

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to strengthen relations with the Republic of Cyprus.

Leo Docherty: The bilateral relationship between the UK and Cyprus has never been stronger. Our shared commitment to working together on a wide range of priority areas is underlined in the 2019 Defence and Security Co-operation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the comprehensive bilateral MoU signed last year. In June the Foreign Secretary hosted Foreign Minister Kombos for wide-ranging discussions. They discussed multiple bilateral initiatives, including the UK's recent technical support for Cyprus in refreshing its approach to sanctions enforcement, and re-affirmed our commitment to accelerate implementation of other issues covered in the MoU.

Educational Exchanges: Croatia

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the joint declaration signed by the Foreign Secretary and the Croatian Minister of Foreign & European Affairs on 28 April 2023, what steps his Department has taken to support (a) educational and (b) cultural exchanges between the UK and Croatia.

Leo Docherty: As close neighbours and allies, the UK and Croatia enjoy strong people to people links. On 28 April, the Foreign Secretary signed a Joint Declaration with Croatian Foreign Minister Radman that aspires to deepen these ties and we are continuing to explore opportunities to strengthen cultural and educational exchanges with our Croatian counterparts. We collaborate closely on education, including through research and joint qualifications in partnership with UK and Croatian universities. The British Council also continues to support cultural and educational exchanges between the UK and Croatia. I [Minister Docherty] will be visiting Croatia in September and will review progress made on the joint declaration in discussion with my counterpart.

Italy: Educational Exchanges

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Co-operation between the Prime Minister and the President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, signed on 27 April 2023, what progress he has made on enhancing (a) youth mobility and (b) cultural exchange between the UK and Italy.

Leo Docherty: As close allies, the UK and Italy enjoy strong people to people links. On 27 April, Prime Minister Sunak and Prime Minister Meloni signed a Memorandum of Understanding that aspires to deepen these ties and we are continuing to explore opportunities to strengthen mobility and cultural exchange with our Italian counterparts. The British Embassy in Rome works closely with the British Council in Italy to promote bilateral cultural exchange, for example through programmes with a focus on disability in the arts and a cultural workshop at the annual Pontignano forum on 14-16 September.

Rhodes: Fires

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support Greece with wildfires on the island of Rhodes.

Leo Docherty: We are in regular contact with the Greek authorities and expressed our solidarity with the affected communities in Rhodes. The FCDO continues to monitor the risk of wildfires and impact on British nationals across the region. The Greek authorities did not request specific UK assistance in response to the Rhodes wildfires.

Educational Exchanges: Denmark

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Joint statement on foreign, security, defence, development and bilateral cooperation between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Denmark, signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs on 20 June 2023, what progress he has made on enhancing (a) youth mobility and (b) cultural exchange between the UK and Denmark.

Leo Docherty: As close neighbours and allies, the UK and Denmark enjoy strong people to people links. On 20 June, the Foreign Secretary signed a Joint Statement with Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen that will deepen these ties and we are continuing to explore opportunities to strengthen mobility and cultural exchange with our Danish counterparts.The UK remains open to negotiating Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) arrangements with international partners, including EU Member States. Given these are bilateral agreements, further details of additional YMS agreements will be announced as and when they are concluded.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of rights for religious minorities in Pakistan.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in Pakistan on the rights of Christians in Pakistan.

Leo Docherty: The UK strongly condemns violence against the Christian community in Pakistan. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce has said, the UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians in Pakistan, and around the world. Protecting Freedom of Religion or Belief including for minority communities, remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. On 16 August, the Minister for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, wrote to Pakistan's caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, urging the government to ensure the safety of Pakistan's Christian community at this worrying time. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) he publicly called for those responsible to be brought to justice and reiterated the UKs commitment to freedom of religion and belief for all. On 6 September, Lord Ahmad raised the attacks against religious minorities in his meeting with the Pakistani High Commissioner.

Afghanistan: Women's Rights

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's polices of (a) the decision of the Taliban to prevent women from accessing the Band-e-Amir national park and (b) women's rights in Afghanistan.

Leo Docherty: Our Mission to Afghanistan has raised with the Taliban the issue of women being prevented from visiting Band-e-Amir national park. More broadly, we have repeatedly condemned the Taliban's decisions to restrict the rights of women and girls, including through UN Security Council and Human Rights Council resolutions and public statements. Without the full respect for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls, Afghanistan will not achieve sustainable economic and political development.On 27 June, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia hosted a meeting of Afghan women leaders to discuss the impact of the Taliban's restrictions on Afghan women as well as the inclusion of Afghan women in the future political process.

Iraq: Kurds

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Leo Docherty: We continue to monitor the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Journalists and political activists continue to face intimidation and indefinite detention, and conservative norms and discriminatory laws harm women and girls and the LGBT+ community.The UK remains committed to pressing the case for improvements in the human rights situation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and raises these issues regularly with senior figures.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Overseas Workers

Ms Anum Qaisar: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what percentage of his Department's staff were based overseas in 2022.

David Rutley: This information is published in the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts, the 2022-23 report can be found on gov.uk. I refer the Honourable Member to page 144(140) of the report: [https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1170838/Foreign-Commonwealth-and-Development-Office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023.pdf]

Morocco: Overseas Students

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the joint declaration of the Fourth session of the Moroccan-UK Strategic Dialogue and second session of the Association Council of the UK-Morocco Association Agreement, signed on 9 May 2023 by the Minister of State for the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and the United Nations and the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Co-operation and Moroccan Expatriates, what progress he has made on capitalising on the growing enthusiasm and interest in studying in the UK and the promotion of the English language among Moroccan youth.

David Rutley: The UK and Morocco cooperate closely on education. This includes work to increase English language proficiency among middle school students. The number of British Accredited Schools and international schools adopting a British curriculum has grown significantly over the last two years. The UK and Morocco work closely through the Higher Education Commission. The fifth meeting took place in May, co-chaired by the Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, and Abdellatif Miraoui, Moroccan Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation, and at which a Memorandum of Understanding was signed to increase English language assessments in Moroccan public universities.

British Overseas Territories: Asylum

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much from the public purse his Department has spent on feasibility studies for the offshoring of people seeking asylum to the UK Overseas Territories in each of the last three years.

David Rutley: The UK has not funded any such feasibility studies.Responsibility for migration and Asylum claims in the British Overseas Territories lies with the elected Overseas Territories governments. The Territories face varying levels of Asylum claims and the UK Government is providing support where needed. The FCDO, in partnership with the Home Office, will continue to work with the Territories on asylum procedures.

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Marine Protected Areas

Sally-Ann Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to take steps to strengthen the marine protected area around (a) the South Sandwich Islands and (b) South Georgia.

David Rutley: The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is currently undertaking the second 5-year review of its Marine Protected Area (MPA). GSGSSI launched the review with a 2-day science symposium in June 2023 and is currently assessing the extent to which existing provisions are delivering the objectives of the MPA. GSGSSI is committed to reporting on its review by early next year.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he plans to take with his international counterparts to include older people in commitments made at the United Nations High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in September 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to championing universal health coverage (UHC). In the 2019 Political Declaration on UHC, United Nations Member States committed to promote healthy and active ageing and to respond to the needs of ageing populations. We are working with other Member States to retain and build on that commitment at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting. We continue to work with country partners and global organisations such as the World Health Organization on integrated and equitable approaches to strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage that meets the needs of people of all ages.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development, whether he plans to take steps to raise the provision of basic healthcare for elderly people at the UN high-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage this month.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to championing universal health coverage (UHC). In the 2019 Political Declaration on UHC, United Nations Member States committed to promote healthy and active ageing and to respond to the needs of ageing populations. We are working with other Member States to retain and build on that commitment at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting. We continue to work with country partners and global organisations such as the World Health Organization on integrated and equitable approaches to strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage that meets the needs of people of all ages.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure an increased commitment to support the health of older people at the United Nations high-level Meeting on universal health coverage in September 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to championing universal health coverage (UHC). In the 2019 Political Declaration on UHC, United Nations Member States committed to promote healthy and active ageing and to respond to the needs of ageing populations. We are working with other Member States to retain and build on that commitment at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting. We continue to work with country partners and global organisations such as the World Health Organization on integrated and equitable approaches to strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage that meets the needs of people of all ages.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to promote the interests of older people at the UN high-level meeting on universal health coverage in September.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to championing universal health coverage (UHC). In the 2019 Political Declaration on UHC, United Nations Member States committed to promote healthy and active ageing and to respond to the needs of ageing populations. We are working with other Member States to retain and build on that commitment at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting. We continue to work with country partners and global organisations such as the World Health Organization on integrated and equitable approaches to strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage that meets the needs of people of all ages.

Developing Countries: Health Services

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that older people are included in commitments made at the United Nations High Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in September 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is committed to championing universal health coverage (UHC). In the 2019 Political Declaration on UHC, United Nations Member States committed to promote healthy and active ageing and to respond to the needs of ageing populations. We are working with other Member States to retain and build on that commitment at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting. We continue to work with country partners and global organisations such as the World Health Organization on integrated and equitable approaches to strengthening health systems and achieving universal health coverage that meets the needs of people of all ages.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Travel

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the data on Ministerial travel, July to September 2022, last updated by his Department on 15 December 2022, how much of the £5,799 cost for a visit by the former Minister for the Americas and the Overseas Territories to New York from 27 to 30 September 2022 was used for flights.

David Rutley: A total of £3211.16 was used for flights by the former Minister for the Americas and Overseas Territories to New York. Foreign travel is a vital part of diplomacy. It is in the national interest that the Foreign Secretary, and other Ministers travel abroad to pursue UK interests, developing international relationships through closer economic, security and development ties. This has been the case under successive administrations of all parties.

Myanmar: Human Rights

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to help prevent (a) human rights abuses and (b) the detention of religious and ethnic minority individuals in Myanmar.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are aware of the vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, particularly in Chin, Kayah, Karen, Kachin and Rakhine states, and we condemn identity-based violence on any ground. The UK has co-sponsored a number of UN Human Rights Council resolutions on Myanmar, most recently in April, which stressed the need to address the root causes of human rights violations and abuses against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities. In December 2022, the UN Security Council passed the first ever resolution on the situation in Myanmar, led by the UK. The Resolution demands an end to violence, stresses the need for the protection of minority groups and calls for the immediate release for all those arbitrarily detained.

Japan: Educational Exchanges

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Hiroshima Accord signed by the British and Japanese Prime Ministers on 18 May 2023, what progress he has made on revitalising people-to-people exchanges between the UK and Japan through (a) those in education through study abroad, (b) the youth mobility scheme and (c) other areas.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: On 21 June the Foreign Secretary met Yoshimasa Hayashi, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan. The Foreign Secretary and Minister Hayashi confirmed our joint desire to continue strengthening UK-Japan bilateral relations, building on the landmark Hiroshima Accord signed by our respective Prime Ministers on 18 May. People-to-people exchanges between the UK and Japan, including in education and youth mobility schemes, are a key part of the Accord agenda. Consultations with the Japanese government in this regard are ongoing.

Department for Work and Pensions

Cost of Living: Pensions

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost-of-living on private pension funds.

Laura Trott: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Jobcentres: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June to Question 186863, whether the survey programme undertaken in 2020-21 included an examination of buildings in the Jobcentre estate opened between 1990 and 2000.

Mims Davies: Yes, the Survey did include an examination of buildings in the Jobcentre estate opened between 1990 and 2000.

Department for Work and Pensions: Buildings

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been found within their Department's estate.

Mims Davies: For now, the focus is on bringing together the information we hold about the Government estate into one place. This work is being coordinated by the Office for Government Property. Survey work is underway.

Department for Work and Pensions: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Mims Davies: In the current financial year, the average response time to Subject Access requests in DWP has been within the 30-day statutory limit for all months except August 2023. The monthly and year to date figures is set out below: DWP is undertaking a transformation programme to digitise the RAR process from end to end, with the objective of streamlining the process for both customers and colleagues. We expect this to consistently improve monthly average clearance times from 2024.Monthly and Year to Date Actual Average Clearance Times (AACT) for the DWP Right of Access Requests (RAR) service   RARs AACT 2023/2024Apr-23May-23Jun-23Jul-23Aug-23YTDActual Average Clearance Times27.529.228.028.430.128.6

Department for Work and Pensions: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Mims Davies: The Department holds data on numbers of leavers, turnover and length of service. A voluntary leavers’ survey provides insight on a monthly basis, on reasons for leaving and contributing factors to a decision to leave. Response rates to the survey are 26% of leavers and to assist with driving up response rates we have updated the survey and are now targeting directly to leavers. As a separate activity, from October, we will start piloting the use of exit interviews in areas with higher turnover. We undertake targeted interventions to increase retention which include increasing awareness of flexible working options such as partial retirement and changes to working hours and/or working pattern; during regular performance one to ones signposting managers to ensure they are holding regular conversations to better understand individual engagement levels and explore ways to retain those considering a move. We use learning from pulse and engagement survey data to further target actions that ensure we are creating an environment where colleagues feel valued and motivated.

Department for Work and Pensions: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Mims Davies: The Department operates in line with the Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022, including the adoption of the Cyber Assessment Framework. Within that strategy, the Department has an ongoing programme of work dedicated to the continual enhancement of cyber security capability. The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) also undertakes independent audits of the programme. This year GIAA has given a Substantial audit opinion of the Department’s overall programme approach to protect systems and data. It also gave a Substantial audit opinion of the Department’s cyber incident response function. It also gave a Substantial audit opinion following a more detailed examination of the Department’s measures to protect systems and data from malware.

Department for Work and Pensions: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many visits he has made to Wales since his appointment.

Mims Davies: Since his appointment, the Secretary of State has not visited Wales in his capacity as Secretary of State. However, in this time period, the wider DWP Ministerial team has made 3 visits to Wales on departmental business.

Department for Work and Pensions: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Mims Davies: DWP is continually working to improve the accessibility of DWP gov.uk services and for users of assistive technologies.Colleagues now follow a formal DWP Digital Accessibility Policy, which sets out the standards that product teams must adhere to when creating new products or updating existing products.Training and consultancy is provided for product teams to enable them to create accessible content and test it with assistive software.It is our ambition to digitalise our experience although we will also ensure we are inclusive in our design and provide an alternative non-digital service for users who are unable to use a digital channel.Some of our improvements include also changes to our channels and the ways in which customers interact with us, such as enabling voice activated customer service on our telephony channel introducing new channels, including webchat in some areas.We are also in the early stages of designing a new interface where a user can access key information across their benefits. We know that access to our products and services is key, and to make this easier we are improving our identity solution. We intend to converge with the Government One Log in service which will provide a single identity access solution across Government. In the meantime, DWP has its own online identity solution that enables a user to identify themselves once, and then re-use that identity across multiple channels with a simple credential check. This will ensure fast and simple access to support for our users.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to respond to my correspondence of 5 June and 26 July on behalf of my constituent Lucy Foot.

Mims Davies: The honourable Member can expect a response to be issued by Friday 8 September 2023. This case has been extremely complex, and we apologise for the delay.

Jobcentres: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his predecessor (a) received requests from and (b) made representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the (i) presence and (ii) potential cost implications of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) within the job centre estate between 13 February 2020 and 5 July 2022.

Mims Davies: Ministers and officials have regular discussions with Treasury colleagues on a range of issues.

Cost of Living

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of the rise in the cost of living on working families with children.

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made of the impact of the rise in the cost of living on working families who (a) qualify and (b) do not qualify for universal credit.

Mims Davies: No such assessments have been made. The Government understands the pressures people, including parents, are facing with the cost of living and is taking action to help. Overall, we are providing total support of over £94bn over 2022-23 and 2023- 24 to help households and individuals with the rising cost of bills. From April 2023, everyone who receives a state benefit or pension will have seen their benefit rates increase by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels have also increased by the same amount. To support parents who are in work, from 1 April, the National Living Wage (NLW) increased by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. We recognise that high childcare costs can affect parents’ decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours. That is why, as announced at the Spring Budget, we are investing billions in additional childcare support for parents of toddlers, investing in wraparound childcare in schools, and increasing financial support for, and expectations of, parents claiming Universal Credit. Households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. The first £301 payments have been issued to 8.3 million households, and two further payments will follow this autumn and in spring 2024. In addition, 6.4 million individuals on eligible ‘extra-costs’ disability benefits have also recently received a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment meaning households with more than one disabled person will receive multiple Disability Cost of Living Payments. For people who require additional support, in England, the Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The guidance for Local Authorities can be found here. Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of this guidance and grant determination that DWP have set out for the fund. Local Authorities are expected to support households in the most need, and in particular those who may not be eligible for the other support Government has recently made available, however, are nevertheless in need. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mims Davies: The Department follows the Cabinet Office guidance on correspondence and aims to reply to members within 20 working days. However, there may be occasions where it is not possible to do so (for example, in complex cases). In these circumstances the Department aims to responded as quickly as possible. The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on Departmental performance which are published on the gov.uk website and can be viewed here.

Household Support Fund

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to renew the Household Support Fund in the next financial year.

Mims Davies: There are currently no plans to extend the Household Support Fund which runs to the end of March 2024. As with all policies, this is kept under continuous review and has included recent discussion with Local Authorities including Brighton and Hove City Council. We are proud that, the Household Support Fund has been used to support many households in need in England with the cost of essentials. For example, over 10 million awards were made between 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023. The government continues to focus on the Prime Minister’s priority to halve inflation by the end of the year. Through the ambitious package announced at the Spring budget we are also delivering measures that are designed to support people to enter work and increase their earnings.

Department for Work and Pensions: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Mims Davies: The Department takes its quality of correspondence very seriously and keeps this under constant review. The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on Departmental performance which are published on the gov.uk website and can be viewed here.

Department for Work and Pensions: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Mims Davies: The Department takes its compliance with the Freedom of Information Act and Cabinet Office Code of Practice very seriously and keeps its approach under constant review.Official National Statistics on FOI performance for all central government departments and other monitored bodies can be found on Gov.UK here.The latest official DWP FOI performance statistics available cover Quarter 1 2023 (January – March) and show that the DWP responded to 98% of all FOIs requests within the statutory 20 working day limit.For 2022 our annual statistics show that DWP managed to respond to 98% of FOI requests within the statutory 20 working day limit.The Department’s response times are above the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) 90% compliance threshold.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Mims Davies: The Department does not keep this information centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Department for Work and Pensions: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mims Davies: The latest official statistics produced by the Table Office are as follows and show that DWP answered the following Parliamentary Questions on time: Jan 2023 – Mar 2023:Named Day PQs – 94%Ordinary Written PQs – 92% Statistics for April to June 2023 are currently being compiled. Departmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here. The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve PQ performance.

Employment: Artificial Intelligence

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure workers do not have their jobs replaced by artificial intelligence.

Mims Davies: DWP is committed to providing caring, compassionate, and efficient support and services to customers. New technologies such as Artificial Intelligence can help us do that. DWP does not use Artificial Intelligence to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant; a human agent will always make final decisions. Artificial Intelligence will never replace the role of our colleagues in supporting customers throughout their journey. We are using Artificial Intelligence to undertake administrative and repeatable tasks, freeing up our staff to spend more time with their claimants or empowering them to provide their essential services more effectively and efficiently.DWP's Personal Information Charter explains how and why we use personal information and citizen’s rights and responsibilities.

Department for Work and Pensions: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Mims Davies: The Secretary of State is committed to visiting a wide range of settings and regions across the country including the West Midlands, which he has visited since his appointment. We will continue to consider all regions when planning future Ministerial visits, including Solihull.

Social Security Benefits: Armed Forces

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of not including military compensation as an income on means-tested benefit applications.

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to support the Royal British Legion Credit their Service campaign.

Mims Davies: The department has had a number of discussions with stakeholders about the treatment of armed forces compensation payments in the benefit system and has further such discussions planned. There are already special rules in place for the treatment of these payments.Those receiving War Disablement Pensions and guaranteed income payments made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme do not have their Universal Credit reduced to take account of this income. Pension Credit includes a weekly £10 disregard for War Pension payments. There are no plans to change these arrangements.

Social Security Benefits: Artificial Intelligence

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to use artificial intelligence to help process benefit claims.

Mims Davies: DWP is continually exploring the use of all types of Artificial Intelligence and its potential to support providing more digital services with a human touch in a safe, ethical and considered way. Artificial Intelligence will never replace the role of our colleagues in supporting customers throughout their journey. We are using Artificial Intelligence to undertake administrative or repeatable tasks freeing up our staff to spend more time with their claimants. As part of our approach, and in-line with the Prime Minister’s Foundation Model Taskforce, DWP has created a Generative Artificial Intelligence Lighthouse Programme which will safely guide our innovation in emerging Artificial Intelligence technology. The role of this programme is to ‘test and learn’ in a safe and governed environment where all types of AI can be used to assist us in the delivery of our customer outcomes and department efficiencies. Where Artificial Intelligence is used to assist its activities in prevention and detection of fraud within UC applications, DWP always ensures appropriate safeguards are in place for the proportionate, ethical, and legal use of data with internal monitoring protocols adhered to. Through the work of departmental governance, we can always explain how the AI reaches the conclusions through the use of data that it does. DWP will not use AI to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant; a human agent always makes final decisions, safeguarding the protection of individuals. Where appropriate Equality and Data Protection Impact Assessments have been carried out. DWP's Personal Information Charter explains how and why we use personal information and citizen’s rights and responsibilities.

Question

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the decision to continue the freeze on pensions of overseas pensioners, in particular in nations where there is no reciprocal agreement in place; and what steps he is taking to establish reciprocal agreements where none exist.

Laura Trott: The policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions and is up-rated overseas where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. There are no plans to change this policy.

Office for Nuclear Regulation: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Office for Nuclear Regulation have previous experience in the sector that they regulate.

Laura Trott: The Office for Nuclear Regulation’s (ONR) Board has ten members. Four have a background in the Nuclear Sector, two have energy sector experience and one has experience in related procurement. 408 of ONR’s headcount of 671 are nuclear inspectors with previous Nuclear Industry experience. ONR also recruits individuals with alternative high hazard sector experience to broaden the organisations range of skills and expertise. ONR’s expertise is sought after internationally, and work with regulators across the globe builds ONR’s own capability. ONR also regularly works with partner regulators such as the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive and regulators sponsored by the Ministry of Defence which supports the pooling of experience and knowledge.

Financial Assistance Scheme

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Financial Assistance Scheme payments are (a) treated as earned income and (b) counted against Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: A guiding principle for means-tested benefits, under differing Governments such as Universal Credit, State Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, is that they are not paid to people who have sufficient other income available to meet the same need. As occupational and private pensions are paid to provide support to help people meet their living costs, they are taken fully into account in the assessment of entitlement to Universal Credit. Therefore where the Financial Assistance Scheme steps in to replace pension scheme income which has become unfunded, that payments are taken into account in the same way as would have applied to the pension payments when calculating entitlement to means-tested benefits. Financial Assistance Scheme payments are treated as unearned income.

Universal Credit: Appeals

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to decrease the amount of time it takes for the outcome of tribunal cases to be placed on people's journal for Universal Credit.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average amount of time it takes for the outcome of a tribunal case to be placed on a person's journal for Universal Credit.

Guy Opperman: Information on the average time to record tribunal outcomes on the UC journal is not collated centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Our aim is to implement UC tribunal decisions as quickly as possible, with some exceptions. The main reason that a tribunal’s decision might not be implemented timeously, is if the Secretary of State considers that the decision may contain an error of law and suspends payment of the tribunal’s award whilst that is considered. In such a case the claimant must be notified that this is being done. If the claimant is not notified of a reason for the decision not being implemented, then they can contact the department: this can be done by using the telephone numbers on Gov.UK, on the decision letter they received, or by attending a Jobcentre; if it is a UC appeal they can use their journal. If a decision is not implemented timeously, there is guidance published by HMCTS and available on Gov.UK, entitled ‘How to appeal against a decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions’.

Employment: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he taking to ensure disabled claimants eligible for the In-Work Progression Offer are not obliged to increase their hours where could impact their ability to manage their condition or ability to stay in employment.

Guy Opperman: Universal Credit Claimants with health conditions or disabilities that do not impact their ability to undertake work and who are eligible for In Work Progression will have their claimant commitment tailored to their personal circumstances, taking into consideration any health conditions or caring responsibilities they may have.

Universal Credit: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the average monthly deduction taken from households with children in receipt of Universal Credit by (a) region (b) Parliamentary constituency in the North East.

Guy Opperman: The requested information is provided in the separate spreadsheet, subject to the caveats below: Table 1 shows the requested analysis of Universal Credit households with children with a payment due in May 2023 by region.Table 2 shows the requested analysis of Universal Credit households with children with a payment due in May 2023 in parliamentary constituencies in the North East. Notes:1. For low level geography: volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100, total amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1,000 and average amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1. For totals at GB level: volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100,000, total amounts have been rounded to the nearest £1,000,000 and average amount has been rounded to the nearest £1.2. The sum of individual low level geographies may not sum to the total figure due to rounding.3. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.4. Children are defined here as being people who are declared as living in the same household as the UC claimant(s) and who are under the age of 20. The number of children may not be equal to the number of dependent children in the household who are eligible for child element for various reasons. This includes children over the age of 16 in non-advanced full-time education, looked-after children and, other young people living in multigenerational households whose parents are not the claimant. Those affected by the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children may also have a larger number of children compared to the number of children entitled to the child element in their household.5. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.6. The ‘unknown' parliamentary constituency equates to 0.2% of all households and relates to households for which a constituency could not be determined due to incomplete postcode information.7. Data for May 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.8. Claim numbers and number of children on UC will not match official statistics caseloads due to methodological differences. Spreadsheet 197725 (xlsx, 104.3KB)

Refugees: Ukraine

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current guidance for Job Centre staff on assessing the education status of Ukrainian refugees.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions has provided immediate access to Universal Credit, and jobs support, for those arriving in the UK from Ukraine because of the Russian invasion; individuals must still meet the eligibility criteria, in order to receive Universal Credit and other Social Security benefits.    There are some exceptions where students may be eligible for Universal Credit such as where they are responsible for a child or are enrolled on a part time course and are seeking employment.

Universal Credit

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the reasons for which a universal credit claimant's transitional protection might be (a) reduced and (b) ended.

Guy Opperman: This was published in 2018: see the report to Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC): Universal Credit (Managed Migration) Regulations 2018 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Universal Credit

Angela Crawley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the efficacy of universal credit in supporting families with children during the school summer holidays.

Guy Opperman: No such assessment has been made.

Access to Work Programme

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications to the Access to Work Scheme were outstanding as of 5 September 2023; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of those applications.

Tom Pursglove: At close of business on 5th September, 21,780 applications were outstanding. Access to Work has received a significant increase in applications over the last year. During the period February 2023 and up to the middle of October 2023 we have/and continue to redeploy staff from other areas of service delivery, together with recruiting additional new staff externally in order to meet the increased demand and reduce the time it takes to make decisions. Customers were notified of a 20 week wait to be assigned when applying in late 2022. Customers are now being notified of a 12 week wait. We are also transforming the Access to Work service through increased digitalisation, that will make the service more efficient, will make the application process easier and improve the time taken from application through to decision. We are working to develop a fully digital service and are redesigning the online application and renewal journeys to improve usability. The new digital payments portal was introduced in June 2023 and is available for all customers that choose to claim online.

Department for Work and Pensions: Staff

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department holds on the number of assessors employed by contractors to carry out (a) Personal Independence Payment and (b) work capability assessments in the latest period for which data is available.

Tom Pursglove: As of 31 July 2023, the number of health professionals (HPs) employed by Capita and Independent Assessment Services to carry out Personal Independence Payment assessments was 3,900. The number of HPs employed by Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) was 1,400. HPs employed by CHDA undertake assessments across both Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, and Incapacity Benefits Reassessments, as well as some smaller non-Work Capability Assessment benefits. The above figures also include clinical support leads, who may also complete assessments from time to time. Please note: -Volumes have been rounded to the nearest 100.All the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment providers.The above data is derived from unpublished management information, which is collected for internal departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

Disability Living Allowance: Personal Independence Payment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to worksheet 1 of his Department's Data tables: Health and Disability benefits based on data from 2019 to 2022, published on 20 July 2023, how many of the 516,100 people with limited capability for work and work-related activity who are not receiving a personal independence payment (PIP) had previously applied for and (a) received and (b) not received (i) PIP and (ii) Disability Living Allowance.

Tom Pursglove: Of the 516,100 claimants with limited capability for work and work-related activity who were not receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in November 2022, 270,000 had previously had an application for PIP cleared. Of these, 53,000 had had PIP in payment and 217,000 had not received PIP prior to November 2022. Of the 516,100 claimants with limited capability for work and work-related activity who were not receiving PIP or DLA in November 2022, 46,600 had previously been in receipt of DLA. This figure does not exclude cases that went on to make a PIP claim, whether or not it went in to payment. The number of people who previously applied for, but did not receive, DLA is held by the department, but could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The required information is not readily available to analysts in a format that would enable them to undertake the analysis and quality assure the figures to answer this PQ in the timescales.

Personal Independence Payment: Rhondda Cynon Taf

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data his Department holds on the average actual clearance times for Personal Independence Payment claims in Rhondda Cynon Taf in each of the last ten years.

Tom Pursglove: Table (a) shows the average actual clearance times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) normal rules new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessments in Rhondda Cynon Taf in each of the last 10 financial years (from 2013/14 to 2022/23), calculated as the median number of weeks from registration to DWP decision. Processing time  (median number of weeks)Financial YearNew ClaimReassessment2013/1426-2014/1525242015/1611112016/1711122017/1814142018/1914172019/2016182020/2114212021/2219212022/231417 Table (b) shows the average actual clearance times for PIP Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) claims in Rhondda Cynon Taf in each of the last 10 financial years (from 2013/14 to 2022/23), calculated as the median number of working days from registration to DWP decision. Processing time  (median number of working days)Financial YearNew ClaimReassessment2013/1413-2014/156-2015/166-2016/176-2017/185-2018/196-2019/205-2020/214-2021/224-2022/234- Source: PIP Atomic Data Store (ADS)

Work Capability Assessment

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to worksheet 1 of his Department's Data tables: Health and Disability benefits based on data from 2019 to 2022, published on 20 July 2023, whether his Department has undertaken analysis of the health conditions reported by the 516,100 people with limited capability for work and work-related activity who are not receiving a personal independence payment.

Tom Pursglove: Currently we do not report aggregate information about whether or not a UC claimant has reported specific health conditions and to collate and quality assure this information would incur disproportionate costs. DWP have published a forward-looking Release Strategy for UC-WCA Official Statistics including plans to develop and publish statistics on WCA decisions by health conditions under Phase 2. See here for further details: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-wca-statistics-release-strategy/universal-credit-work-capability-assessment-statistics-release-strategy

Work Capability Assessment

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress his Department has made on replacing the Work Capability Assessment.

Tom Pursglove: As we committed to in Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, we are actively engaging with disabled people and people with health conditions and our stakeholders as we develop our proposals. We set out the intention to transform the benefits system for the future so that it focuses on what people can do, rather than what they cannot. We will legislate to remove the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) so that in future there is only one health and disability assessment – the PIP assessment. This will mean that there will be no need to be found to have limited capability for work and limited capability to prepare for work to get additional income-related support for a disability or health condition. The degree of change in our proposals will require primary legislation, which we will aim to take early in a new parliament, when parliamentary time allows.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of work capability assessment decisions were overturned at tribunal in each of the four most recent quarters for which data is available.

Tom Pursglove: Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance Work Capability Assessments, including appeal decision outcomes are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. The Official Statistics for Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments covers key metrics on the number of people on the UC health journey, as well as WCA decisions and outcomes. As set out in the published release strategy we are taking a phased approach to development and publication of additional statistics accounting for the complexity of source data that is in discovery. Future releases are planned to include new/repeat claims, medical conditions, Mandatory Reconsiderations and Appeals, and clearance times.

Employment: Syndactyly

Paul Bristow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department has issued on (a) equality and (b) inclusion in the workplace for people with syndactyly.

Tom Pursglove: The Department for Work and Pensions does not issue guidance on equality and inclusion in the workplace. However, the Government has a range of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including syndactyly, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include increasing Work Coach support in Jobcentres; Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres; the Work and Health Programme and Intensive Personalised Employment Support; Access to Work grants; Disability Confident; the Information and Advice Service; and work to further join up employment and health systems.

Disability: Internet

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of digital accessibility for disabled people and (b) potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to guarantee online disabled rights similar to those in the Equality Act 2010.

Tom Pursglove: The Government remains fully committed to supporting disabled people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society. The National Disability Strategy (NDS) suggested ways for the Government to consider improving digital accessibility for disabled people. Following the successful appeal in the NDS Judicial Review we are considering how best to take this important work forward.

Personal Independence Payment: Applications

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to remove online PIP pre-application questions.

Tom Pursglove: The Health Transformation Programme is transforming the entire Personal Independence Payment (PIP) service, from finding out about benefits through to decisions, eligibility, and payments. We are developing the new service carefully and incrementally, designing the service around the needs of claimants. We have begun by focussing on the initial application part of the process. Since Thursday 27 July, a limited number of claimants in selected postcode areas have been able to begin their claim for PIP entirely online, without needing to phone to make their claim. As part of this new online option, an eligibility checker tool is built into the service. These pre-application eligibility questions are optional. They are intended to guide a user who may not be sure if PIP is right for them, and signpost them to other benefits as applicable. However, citizens in selected user groups and in areas where the service is operating can begin their online PIP claim without needing to use this tool. Information within these questions is already included on the GOV.UK PIP guidance pages. Everyone who completes the eligibility checker questions is signposted to claim online if they wish. There are no current plans to remove the optional eligibility questions from the online service, but we will keep this under review as we develop the service.

Assistance Animals: Business

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to include a commitment to create a requirement for all businesses to admit guide dogs in the Disability Action Plan.

Tom Pursglove: Guide dog access is protected as a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010. All businesses should be mindful of their duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure disabled people are able to access goods and services. The Disability Action Plan consultation has specific questions on guide dog access refusals. People who are reliant on guide dogs to access goods and services are encouraged to make their views known via the fully accessible consultation which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/disability-action-plan-2023-to-2024.

Department for Business and Trade

Department for Business and Trade: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Ministers regularly make visits across the UK to hear firsthand the opportunities for British businesses. Ministers at the Department for Business and Trade have no plans to visit the Solihull Constituency at this time. I previously visited Solihull to visit Jaguar Land Rover on 8 December.

Mining: Environment Protection

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the environmental duties under the Companies Act 2006 relating to mining activities.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Companies Act 2006 requires directors of all companies to have regard to environmental matters when performing their duty to promote the success of the company. The reporting requirements of the Companies Act provide transparency in relation to how directors have had regard to environmental matters, enabling companies and their directors to be held to account for actions which may have environmental impacts.

Products: Sales

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to encourage consumers to buy British products.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department for Business and Trade promotes British goods and services domestically and internationally through its communication and marketing campaigns. Our Made in the UK Sold to the World campaign encourages British companies to grow their business by exporting, and our GREAT Trade and Investment marketing campaign promotes British products and services to international buyers across 9 global regions, each led by a His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner.

Department for Business and Trade: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Nigel Huddleston: Civil Service turnover in the Department for International Trade (DIT) was 8.1% in 2022/23. As part of Machinery of Government changes, DIT has since become The Department of Business and Trade (DBT). As part of the leavers process for DBT each leaver is sent a link to a survey to gather more information around the reasons the individual is leaving, such as career development or better pay and conditions. This narrative is beneficial to inform future policy decisions. Examples of current activities to support attraction and retention:DBT offer a broad range of development opportunities including apprenticeships, trade and business specific learning packages, development programmes (including our internally designed and delivered International Trade Development Programme), interchange and secondments.Working within controls, we do as much as possible to ensure that we have an attractive employee pay and benefits package and take steps to deliver annual pay awards at both delegated and SCS grades that align to central guidance. To support employee recognition and engagement, we have a DBT in-year award scheme to provide cash/voucher awards to recognise key achievements.We analyse the department's annual Civil Service People Survey results which have specific questions linked to employee retention and each year create an action plan that responds to feedback from the survey.We are currently working on our People Strategy which will take us to 2028 and one of the objectives within it is retention and engagement.

Department for Business and Trade: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade has a target of responding to correspondence within 20 working days where a response is required. Cabinet Office recently published data figures for the first two quarters of 2023. DBT achieved 73% in quarter one and 77% in quarter two of all correspondence cases closed within 20 working days. We review our processes and performance at regular intervals and run tailored training sessions for staff to drive up the quality and timeliness of responses.

Department for Business and Trade: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Nigel Huddleston: In line with Cabinet Office guidance, the department has a target of responding to correspondence within 20 working days where a response is required. The department ensures that urgent cases raised by hon. Members are prioritised and is taking steps to provide substantive responses in as short a time as possible. We review our processes and performance at regular intervals and run tailored training sessions for staff to drive up the quality and timeliness of responses.

Minimum Wage: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information she holds on the number of recorded breaches of minimum wage legislation by employers in Romford constituency in the last four years.

Kevin Hollinrake: All businesses – irrespective of their size, business sector or location – are responsible for paying the correct minimum wage to their staff. National Minimum Wage enforcement data is not held at constituency level but regional data for London can be seen in the table below. Financial YearRegionArrears (£)Workers2018-19London6,456,31559,1472019-20London3,298,93542,9172020-21London1,285,69710,0052021-22London5,408,62955,133

Employment: Bullying

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the TUC report entitled Bullying at Work, published February 2019, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of that report’s findings on the prevalence of workplace bullying.

Kevin Hollinrake: Any form of bullying and harassment is unacceptable and has no place in today’s workplace. Bullying is not itself illegal, and the Government believes that the best way to address bad behaviour in the workplace is through cultural change. The Government has published guidance that sets out the steps that employees can take if they are experiencing bullying or harassment at work, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/workplace-bullying-and-harassment  Acas provides free and impartial advice for employers and employees and has recently updated its guidance on how to deal with bullying in the workplace. This is available at: https://www.acas.org.uk/bullying-at-work

Department for Business and Trade: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business & Trade has processed six valid subject access requests so far in this financial year. All six requests have been responded to promptly and within the statutory response time of one calendar month. The average response time is 27 days. The department continually monitors and looks for way to improve its performance in managing subject access requests.

Department for Business and Trade: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by her Department in each of the last five years; and whether she plans to introduce measures to improve this

Nigel Huddleston: Public inquiries are an important mechanism to allow the Government to learn lessons for the future, and all Government departments take inquiries' recommendations seriously. The department endeavours to provide timely and well considered responses to every public inquiry and their recommendations. Data on the average time taken to respond is not held centrally.

Department for Business and Trade: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by her Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) was formed on 7 February 2023 and took responsibility for processing Freedom of Information Requests from 1 July 2023 from predecessor departments. For this reason, we do not have 2022-2023 financial year FOI statistics for DBT.Official National Statistics on FOI performance for all central governmentdepartments and other monitored bodies can be found on www.gov.uk athttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

Department for Business and Trade: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) was established on 7 February 2023 and took responsibility for processing Freedom of Information Requests from legacy departments from 1 July 2023.FOI statistics on departmental compliance will be available from late Autumn for the period of July-September https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statisticsThe Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its FOI

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much the Government has spent on the Northern Ireland investment conference as of 1 September 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: Total spend on the Northern Ireland investment conference is forecast to come within the £2m allocated budget as of 01 September 2023.

Department for Business and Trade: Iceland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has met with her Icelandic counterpart in the last 12 months.

Nigel Huddleston: The Secretary of State for Business and Trade has not met her Icelandic counterpart over the last 12 months. The then Minister for Trade (Conor Burns) opened the inaugural UK-EEA/EFTA Joint Committee in September 2022 where discussion focussed on how we could build on our strong trading relationship and maximise the benefits of the UK-EEA/EFTA Free Trade Agreement. Our Trade Commissioner for Europe met the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the British-Icelandic Chamber of Commerce in May 2023 to discuss our Free Trade Agreement, its implementation and next steps with local businesses.

Foreign Companies: Registration

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the value of fines (a) issued and (b) paid for non compliance with the requirements of the Register of of Overseas Entities was as of 4 September 2023; and how many fines were (i) issued and (ii) paid as of 4 September 2023.

Kevin Hollinrake: Before imposing a penalty, a warning notice must be issued. Over 1,200 notices have so far been issued. As of 4 September 2023, fourteen penalties have been issued for non-compliance with a value of circa £490,000, zero have been paid. A further five penalties were issued 6 September bringing the total value to £660,000.Once the warning is issued, Companies House must allow 28 days for representation and factor in time to mitigate delays in the international postal system. Only after that point will Companies House issue the penalty. During these stages, compliance by the entity will cease the case. To date, forty warned entities have complied, meaning that no financial penalty will be imposed.

Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support UK  based fashion businesses to compete with businesses in the EU.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Export Support Service (ESS) brings together information from across government, making it easier for exporters to find what they need in one place. The service also includes an Export Policy Hub which helps answer complex queries and analyse business intelligence to identify barriers to exporting and a Europe Market Access Centre, where local market experts in Europe will provide exporters with expertise. Officials work closely with representatives from the textile and footwear sectors to understand how government can help businesses increase their UK manufacturing capabilities while increasing their exports.

Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help the fashion industry secure skilled workers to employ.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is increasing skills investment by a total over the Parliament of £3.8bn by 2024-25. Officials are working with stakeholders including the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) and UK fashion and Textiles association, to accelerate the talent pipeline, such as the Production Sewing Machinists Skills bootcamp in Greater Manchester.Where employers cannot get the skills they need in the domestic labour market, it is appropriate that they make the most of the points-based immigration system to access talent from around the world, including the Skilled Worker Visa. We also consider other important routes to increasing employers' access to skills, including addressing non-skill barriers to work such as childcare.

Clothing: Manufacturing Industries

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure that businesses supplying the fashion industry have access to the same support across UK regions.

Kevin Hollinrake: We engage with businesses across all sectors, including fashion, via a one-to-many approach through programmes like Export Academy, Export Champions, local events and trade missions.The British Business Bank’s website hosts the online information platform, the Business Finance Hub, which helps raise awareness of appropriate finance options for SMEs in all sectors at all stages of their growth.Additionally, Local Enterprise Partnership Growth Hubs can also be a source of free advice and finance.

Bicycles and Electric Scooters: Safety

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the (a) safety and (b) potential fire risk of lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it mandatory for lithium-ion batteries to have third-party certification in order to be placed on the market.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is prioritising work to understand and tackle the risks presented by e-bikes and e-scooters and has commissioned research into the safety of lithium-ion batteries. OPSS and Local Authority Trading Standards Services have powers to remove unsafe products from sale and are using data and intelligence to target unsafe products at the border. The Government launched its Product Safety Review consultation on 2 August which explores the future of the UK’s product safety framework including consideration of third party conformity assessment requirements. On 9 August, the Home Office published new guidance for consumers on safe battery charging practices in the home.

Employment: Menopause

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make it his policy to require all employers to introduce a menopause policy.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has appointed Helen Tomlinson as the first ever Menopause Employment Champion. The Menopause Employment Champion will drive awareness of issues surrounding the menopause and encourage employers to create a more supportive environment to help women stay in work and progress. The Government has no plans to require all employers to introduce a menopause policy.

Minimum Wage

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to round 19 of the National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme, published in June 2023, how many and what proportion of the named employers have now paid arrears to people who were paid less than the minimum wage.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many and what proportion of employers that were included on a National Minimum Wage Naming Scheme list published since January 2011 have not paid arrears to affected employees.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government only names once HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has finished its investigations and once employers have repaid arrears to workers and paid the penalty to government.Where there has been an underpayment, HMRC will instruct the employer to pay workers the arrears owed, and a penalty of up to 200% of arrears. In 2021/22, HMRC concluded over 2,800 minimum wage investigations and returned more than £16.3m in arrears to over 120,000 workers. HMRC issued 696 fines totalling £13.2m to businesses who had failed to pay the minimum wage.

Department for Business and Trade: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) adheres to the Government Service Standard, which includes requirements to understand users and their needs, and to make sure everyone can use the service. We regularly audit our digital products and services for compliance with the latest accessibility standards, and prioritise areas for improvement. Specialists in user-centred design are embedded into our teams working on digital services, who constantly review user journeys, conduct research and iteratively improve our services based on the experiences of our users.

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with her Irish counterpart on the Northern Ireland investment conference in September 2023.

Nigel Huddleston: The Irish Government were invited to the Northern Ireland Investment Summit by the Northern Ireland Office on 25th July 2023. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has discussed the Summit with the Tánaiste, Micheál Martin, most recently at the British Irish Association conference. Officials in NIO, DBT and British Embassy Dublin engage regularly with Irish Government officials on a range of issues, including the Investment Summit. We are looking forward to a successful Summit that can help improve prosperity in Northern Ireland.

Trade Agreements: India

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department plans to take to help ensure there is adequate (a) public scrutiny and (b) accountability of (i) trade negotiations and (ii) any future trade agreement between the UK and India.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government has put in place enhanced scrutiny arrangements for free trade agreements. This included publishing our negotiating strategy, including objectives, in January 2022. Since negotiations commenced, we have published twelve negotiation updates. In addition the Chief Negotiator has briefed the relevant select committees on a number of occasions. Once the deal is concluded it will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act, prior to ratification. The Government will also commission and publish advice from the independent Trade and Agriculture Commission. Finally, any legislation needed to implement the agreement will be scrutinised and passed by Parliament in the usual ways.

Department for Business and Trade: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government attaches great importance to the timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions (PQs). Departmental performance on Written PQs is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee. Details of the last session are here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year’s data will be published when the session concludes. The department is taking measures to ensure the timeliness of responses to Written PQs including implementing strict internal deadlines, delivering regular training for officials and regularly reviewing our internal processes.

Department for Business and Trade: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade,  what steps her Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Nigel Huddleston: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Department for Business and Trade. In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many times she has met the US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with the US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland on trade and investment relations between the US and Northern Ireland.

Nigel Huddleston: The Secretary of State will meet the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland for Economic Affairs Joe Kennedy III at the upcoming Northern Ireland Investment Summit on 12-13 September. Lord Johnson met Special Envoy Kennedy in July and discussed the importance of US investment in Northern Ireland and how to ensure this delivers tangible benefits for Northern Ireland business.

Geothermal Power: Iceland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in the Republic of Iceland on the trade of Icelandic geothermal energy.

Nigel Huddleston: The United Kingdom is committed to building on our strong green trade partnership with Iceland. Our UK-EEA/EFTA free trade agreement is one of our greenest trade deals and provides the framework for continued dialogues with Iceland on the development and utilisation of climate friendly energy.Officials discussed efforts to transition to Net Zero, including Iceland’s transition to carbon neutrality through geothermal energy, at the UK-EEA/EFTA Trade and Sustainable Development Subcommittee held in November last year.

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland and Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions she has had with her US counterpart on trade and investment opportunities in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Wales.

Nigel Huddleston: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with her counterpart US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Most recently they met at the G20 Summit on 25 August. The Secretary of State regularly raises the opportunities for US trade and investment into all regions of the UK. Around 260 US-owned businesses already operate in Northern Ireland and in 2021, businesses in Northern Ireland exported goods and services worth £2.2 billion to the United States. In the same year, good and services exports from Wales to the US stood at £4.4 billion.

Manufacturing Industries: Carbon Emissions

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the carbon emissions created by the import of goods manufactured abroad in each of the last three years.

Nigel Huddleston: The department does not hold information on the estimated carbon emissions related to imported goods for 2021 and 2022. The latest data on carbon footprint associated with the UK's consumption of goods and services for the year 2020 was published by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on the 2nd of August 2023.

Visas: Fashion Models

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department plans to take steps to expedite the visa process for UK models accepting roles in Europe on a tight deadline.

Nigel Huddleston: The Government recognises the importance of mobility for UK businesses, and regularly engages other European countries to address any bilateral mobility issues and to ensure the visa information they provide is clear. To help businesses navigate the visa and work permit rules of EU Member States, the Government has published guidance on GOV.UK on entry requirements, as well as for Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. This includes a specific ‘landing page’ for the fashion sector.

Electronic Commerce

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will take steps to ensure that services ordered online are able to be cancelled as (a) quickly and (b) easily once the contract has ended.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 ensure that consumers can cancel qualifying contracts within 14 days of commencement and, throughout the contract period, are able to contact the trader to discuss the contract, including cancel, through at least a basic, local-rate helpline. The regulations also stipulate that contracts cannot be automatically renewed unless the consumer has signed up for one with automatic renewals, ensuring consumers are not forced into a new contract term they may not want.In addition, the Government is strengthening the rules for subscription contracts which auto-renew. The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill require traders to provide clear information before consumers enter a contract and reminders before a subscription renews onto new terms, and clear and easy cancellation routes so it is as easy to leave a contract as sign up.The Bill specifically prohibits traders from creating barriers that make it hard for a consumer to cancel their contract, and mandates that if a consumer can sign up to a contract online, they must be able to exit it online.

Electric Vehicles: Production

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate she has made of the annual electric vehicle production capacity of the (a) UK and (b) OECD average.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: According to the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), the UK produced 80,000 battery electric passenger cars and vans in 2022 - forecasted to increase to 970,000 by 2030. We are investing in the technologies of the future, positioning the UK as one of the best locations in the world to manufacture electric vehicles through the Automotive Transformation Fund and the long-term Advanced Propulsion Centre R&D programme. Globally 8 million battery electric passenger cars and vans were produced in 2022 - expected to rise to 44milllion by 2030. Source: APC Q1 2023 Automotive Demand Forecast We do not hold data on OECD electric vehicle production volumes.

Amazon: Small Businesses

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the impact of Amazon UK’s Delivery Date Based Reserve policy change in August 2023 on small businesses.

Kevin Hollinrake: I recently wrote to Amazon’s UK Country Manager, John Boumphrey, asking how Amazon intends to help mitigate the impact on its sellers, recognising that this is a challenging time for many small businesses already struggling with cashflow issues.We are determined to see late payments reduce to ensure that small and medium sized enterprises are given the best chance of succeeding and growing. One of our levers to tackle late payment is the Small Business Commissioner, who provides general advice and information to small businesses in connection with their supply relationships with larger businesses. Small businesses affected by late or unfair payment practices can use their complaint investigation service.

Skilled Workers: Training

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department is taking steps to help promote careers in (a) carpentry, (b) brick laying, (c) roofing and (d) other trade industry jobs outside of traditional education routes.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Trades and professions in construction are skilled roles. New entrants to construction can join the industry through an apprenticeship, T-levels and further and higher education qualifications. This Department works jointly with the Department for Education and the construction industry through the Construction Skills Delivery Group to promote opportunities and all skills routes for the new generation of construction workers, and for ongoing career progression, to support all construction roles.

Scaffolding: Regulation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of imposing independent regulations on scaffolding certification.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) has been the industry-recognised scaffold training scheme for over 40 years. Our standards of health and safety protections are among the highest in the world and there is no reason for that to change.

Batteries: Factories

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much from the public purse will be spent on support for the proposed Tata Group gigafactory.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Details of our support to Tata Group will be published in due course as part of our regular transparency data.

Electric Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how much funding the UK Government have allocated to the electric car industry between 2023 and 2030.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: In the 2021 Net Zero Strategy, the Government announced £350m for the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF). This is in addition to the £500m for this programme announced in the 2020 Ten Point Plan. Government and industry have jointly committed approximately £1.4bn in innovative projects through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC), to accelerate the development and commercialisation of strategically important vehicle technologies, strengthening our competitive edge internationally.In the coming months, after engagement with industry, the Government will build on the APC and ATF to take decisive action to ensure future investment in the manufacturing of zero emission vehicles in the UK.

Batteries: Factories

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an estimate of the number of gigafactories that will be established in the UK by 2030.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We continue to work with industry via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to support the creation of an internationally competitive electric vehicle supply chain in the UK, including gigafactories.The Advanced Propulsion Centre forecasts that UK demand for EV battery manufacturing capacity is expected to reach 89 GWh per annum by 2030.ATF funding has already helped secure key investments, including, Tata’s recent announcement that they will be investing over £4 billion to build a new gigafactory in the UK and the £1bn electric vehicle hub in Sunderland in partnership between Nissan and Envision AESC.

Royal Mail: Standards

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking to help ensure that Royal Mail meets its delivery targets; and what information she has received from Royal Mail on when it will be able to meet its delivery target in any postcode area.

Kevin Hollinrake: It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. Ofcom is currently undertaking an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet its quality of service performance targets for 2022-23.

Food: Prices

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has held discussions with representatives from supermarkets on the Competition Markets Authority investigation into food price rises.

Kevin Hollinrake: Ministers and officials engage with a wide range of businesses, including supermarkets, on a regular basis. The Competition and Markets Authority has engaged with industry and assessed indicators of how competition is working in the grocery retail market and found that competition between supermarkets remains healthy. The Government welcomes the CMA's plans to look further into the supply chains impacting the pricing of 10 day-to-day products: baby formula, baked beans, bread, chilled desserts, lemonade, mayonnaise, milk, pet food, poultry, and ready meals. The CMA will issue a public update on this work in the autumn.

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Submarines: Decommissioning

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the estimated disposal dates is of each of the Royal Navy’s disused nuclear submarines.

James Cartlidge: The Submarine Dismantling Project remains on track to deliver a safe, secure, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible solution for dismantling all our non-operational submarines. The first disposal, Swiftsure, is taking place in Rosyth and is being used as a demonstrator to inform and refine the dismantling process for subsequent submarines. This will provide more certainty on the dismantling schedule for future submarines. The project remains on schedule for completion by the original target date of 2026.

General Dynamics UK: LE TacCIS Programme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects a new initial operating capability date to be agreed with General Dynamics Mission Systems UK for the Morpheus programme.

James Cartlidge: I will write to the right hon. Member with the detail requested and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Grant Shapps: I am in the process of formalising my visit programme following my recent appointment. I look forward to visiting members of the Armed Forces around the UK and abroad, as I am keen to highlight the fantastic work they do to protect the nation and help it prosper.

Ministry of Defence: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procurement contracts his Department has signed over the value of £10 million since February 2022.

James Cartlidge: The information to answer this question could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Defence: Recruitment

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to help increase the availability of labour for the defence manufacturing industry.

James Cartlidge: With over 100 apprenticeship schemes and 20,000 apprentices under training, defence is offering exciting opportunities to grow the skills we need, including in priority areas like the nuclear enterprise. We are working to improve this further, for example through the National Shipbuilding Office collaboration with the Department for Education to grow the UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce.

Defence: Technology

Simon Jupp: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to increase innovation in defence technologies.

James Cartlidge: The Defence Command Paper highlighted the importance of science, innovation and technology in securing strategic advantage for our Armed Forces. Defence is investing over £6.6 billion in advanced Research and Development, and is working closely with UK industry and academia, to identify and invest in innovative technologies to ensure we have the capabilities we need to meet threats.

Challenger Tanks

Mr Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Challenger 3 upgrade programme; what the definition is of initial operating capability for Challenger 3; and what the planned date is for that initial operating capability.

James Cartlidge: To ensure I can provide as much detail as possible, I will write to the right hon. Member with the detail requested once it has been collated and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence has not been required to respond to any interim or final reports of statutory public inquiries under the Inquiries Act, or to independent non-statutory inquiries, within the last five years.

Armed Forces: Food

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many ration packs that were past their expiry date had their shelf life extended in the last 12 months..

James Cartlidge: The total number of ration packs that have had their shelf life extended in the last 12 months is 7,056.

Warships

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department (a) allocated to and (b) spent on the Multi Role Support Ship programme as of 1 September 2023.

James Cartlidge: It will take time to collate and analyse the information requested. To ensure I can provide as much detail as possible, I will write to the right hon. Member with the detail requested once it has been collated and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

World War I: Anniversaries

Elliot Colburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to commemorate Armistice Day.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Commemorations will take place across the UK to mark Armistice Day. This will include a ceremony at the Cenotaph, as well as memorials across the UK and around the world.The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance will take at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 11 November and will be supported by over 500 members of the Armed Forces.

Armed Forces: Education

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of allowances to ensure continuity of education for armed forces families.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA) continues to be an important mechanism for assisting continuity of education for Armed Forces families.The Ministry of Defence closely monitors all Armed Forces allowances to evaluate ways they may be refined to improve their effectiveness in supporting our personnel and their families. I am eager to ensure that the Continuity of Education Allowance remains fit for purpose and so I have tasked MOD officials to review the policy and report back with recommendations (where needed) by the end of the year.

Submarines: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans for the Royal Navy to take delivery of the Cetus uncrewed submarine.

James Cartlidge: Under current plans, the Royal Navy is due to take delivery of the Cetus uncrewed submarine in 2025 to commence autonomous experimentation and trials.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current budget is for the New Medium Helicopter requirement.

James Cartlidge: The budget for the procurement of the overall New Medium Helicopter capability and an initial support period of approximately five years is £1.2 billion.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the current planned in-service date is for the New Medium Helicopter requirement.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 27 April 2023 to Question 182236 to the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones). Military Aircraft: Helicopters (docx, 22.6KB)

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 July 2022 to Question 32493, what estimate he has made of the impact of changes in the foreign exchange rate on the acquisition of 14 new Chinook H-47 (Extended Range) aircraft.

James Cartlidge: The impact of changes in the foreign exchange rate have been mitigated by the department's use of forward purchasing arrangements. At this time we estimate that this activity has limited the increase in cost to the Chinook programme to £37 million.

Ministry of Defence: Motor Vehicles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Question 191261 Ministry of Defence: Motor Vehicles, what brand is the (a) 39 plug in hybrid and (b) one battery electric vehicle made in the UK.

James Cartlidge: The plug-in hybrid vehicles were manufactured by Land Rover.The battery electric vehicle was manufactured by Nissan.

Armed Forces: Food

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which ration pack meals had their shelf life extended by his Department in the last 12 months.

James Cartlidge: When the shelf life of a ration pack is extended the shelf life of the complete pack is extended in its entirety, so it is not possible to extend individual ration pack meals contained within the pack.

Armed Forces: Weapons

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 174195 on Armed Forces: Weapons, how much and what proportion of the funding for Armed Forces stockpiles over the next two years has been allocated to the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF.

James Cartlidge: The annual allocation of the additional £2.5 billion funding for stockpiles is in the process of being finalised and therefore specific figures will be available when negotiations have concluded. Totals will be published as part of the Supplementary Estimates process, expected later this Financial Year.

Defence: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) bilateral UK-French defence procurement projects and (b) multi-nation defence procurement projects that both the UK and French are members of there are.

James Cartlidge: The UK and France are members of the following defence procurement projects and programmes:(a) Bilateral: Sea Venom, Storm Shadow/SCALP, the Case Telescoped Armament System 40mm, Maritime Mine Counter Measures programme and Future Cruise/Anti-Ship Weapon programme.(b) Multi-nation: Meteor, Sea Viper, A400M, Land Battle Decisive Munitions and the Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability.

Royal Naval College

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the Britannia Royal Naval College is subject to inspections by the Office for Standards in Education.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Ofsted is commissioned by Defence to provide Ministers with independent external oversight of initial training across Defence. They examine training establishment's provision of Care & Welfare including self-assessment processes using the MOD specific Inspection Framework (MODIF).This commission and its terms are set out in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed between the MOD and Ofsted. Within this MoU Ofsted inspections across all 3 services cover: Phase 1 and Phase 2 Regular training establishments for Officers and other ranks, University Service Units and Phase 1 and Phase 2 Reserve Training.Ofsted will seek to determine the progress made in addressing issues of duty of care, welfare and support for recruits and trainees within Initial Training.Findings and recommendations are provided to the unit, with general MOD recommendations made in the published Annual Report to Ministers.

Armed Forces: Catering

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194673 on Armed Forces: Catering, whether his Department plans to publish the Defence Catering Strategy.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 on Armed Forces: Catering, which new contracts will begin to provide catering services for Armed Forces personnel in 2026.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194673 on Armed Forces: Catering, which food provisions his Department is planning to introduce into Defence catering services in 2024.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The new Defence Catering Strategy is currently being developed. The Strategy aims to deliver improvements across four areas: the food that our people eat; the times and ways in which food is available to our people; the physical spaces in which our people eat (and which therefore contribute to team building); and the ways in which technology can facilitate selection, ordering, collection and availability of food.From January to May 2024, we will be focused on changing the food that is on offer: to improve choice, to address the range of nutritional and calorific needs, and to provide consistent quality. When the detailed plan has been finalised, we will communicate that to our people first, and then more widely. Concurrently we are looking at changes to the contracts relevant to the four areas of the Strategy by 2026. We are in the early stages of addressing those contracts so cannot be more specific at this point. Elements of the Defence Catering Strategy will be implemented beyond 2026 on the basis of prioritisation, funding, and continuous improvement.

Armed Forces: Pay

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the interview by the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families with the Financial Times on 9 August 2023, when his Department plans to introduce flexible pay models for the armed forces.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence is undertaking work to examine and take-forward the recommendations made within Agency and Agility: Incentivising people in a new era. A review of UK Armed Forces incentivisation by Rick Haythornthwaite. Regarding flexible pay, as outlined in recommendation 24, the Department will commence a trial of a 'total reward approach' through 2024. This approach finds the optimal point where personnel are best supported across all elements of reward, both financial and non-financial, to achieve organisational objectives in a sustainable manner. It will allow for tailored reward packages to be quickly and easily created to match the reality of what our personnel are asked to do according to their role and activity. Lessons will be learned from the trial and then we will look to roll this approach out more widely across the Armed Forces.

Ministry of Defence: Weddings

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Ministry of Defence: Weddings, on what date did a civil (a) marriage and (b) partnership last take place on the Defence Estate in (a) England and (b) Cyprus.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2023 to Question 191222 on on Ministry of Defence: Weddings, what security considerations his Department has identified for not permitting civil marriages or civil partnerships to take place on the Defence Estate in England and Wales.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Civil marriages and partnerships occur on Defence estates outside the UK and will comply with host countries’ laws or the Sovereign Base Regulations. The last time such a ceremony took place in Cyprus was 4 September 2021. Civil marriages or partnerships cannot take place on the Defence Estate in England and Wales due to The Marriages and Civil Partnership (Approved Premises) Regulations 2005, which requires Approved Premises to be regularly available to the public. That is not tenable in respect of the defence estate because of security concerns. On 24 July 2023, in my capacity as Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, I wrote to the Ministry of Justice to enquire about amending the legislation to remove the requirement for unrestricted public access. Such an amendment would ensure that the Defence community could enter into civil marriages and partnerships in locations that have particular significance to them.

Ministry of Defence: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of retaining our people, who are our most valuable asset, and we actively work to explain and enhance our ‘offer’ to our existing civilian workforce to ensure that we retain experienced colleagues.  MOD Civil Service turnover is 10.7%, which compares to a Civil Service average of 13.6% and a UK average of 17%. The average length of service for our Civil Servants is approximately 13 years. We recognise that we have a multi-generational workforce so our solutions to improve retention target all stages of the employee life cycle. As set out in the Haythornthwaite Review of Armed Forces Incentivisation, we recognise the skills and experience that can be obtained from zig-zag careers; this also applies to our civilian staff. We strive for our people to feel valued as soon as they join, thrive in our department, and leave well, speaking highly of the organisation and considering a return in the future. Our retention activity is based around the following key areas of focus: - better promotion of our existing offer- learning, development, and career pathways which support professional progression- pay, pension and employee benefits- maximising flexibilities in how we work- improving line management and leadership.

Armed Forces: Cadets

Tom Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Education to increase the number of Combined Cadet Forces in state schools.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Through the joint Department for Education (DfE) and Ministry of Defence (MOD) Cadet Expansion Programme (CEP), over 250 new cadet units have opened in state schools, with priority given to less affluent areas. Prior to CEP, 75% of school units were in independent schools, with 25% in state schools. There are now over 500 cadet units in UK schools, and now more than 60% of these units are in the state sector.Since 2021, DfE have been providing additional funding for state schools in England to help with the administrative support of Combined Cadet Force (CCF) contingents. This funding, which DfE has recently extended until the end of Academic Year 2023-24, directly supports School Staff Instructors who are vital for the sustainment of a school's CCF unit.DfE and MOD are continuing to work on the Government's ambition to increase the number of cadets in schools to 60,000 by April 2024, ensuring that more children in state schools have the opportunities that have long been a feature of the independent sector.

Armed Forces: Health

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department provides to military personnel to ensure their health and fitness remains at a high level when they are not deployed in the UK and off-duty.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence is committed to the health and wellbeing of our Armed Forces. All Armed Forces Personnel are supported by dedicated medical services including mental health support and Defence Recovery Programmes. The Defence People Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2022-27 promotes the importance of health and wellbeing across Defence, adopting a holistic approach to mental health, physical health, and social health. It directs a coordinated approach to promote, prevent, detect and treat poor health and wellbeing early to enable optimal recovery. It ensures that all our people will be in a state of positive physical, mental and social health and wellbeing throughout their career. It is the responsibility of every individual within the Armed Forces to maintain a level of fitness adequate for the demands of their daily task, whether home-based or deployed. Unit commanders ensure that personnel maintain fitness and are responsible for the provision of regular opportunities to take exercise. All Service personnel have access to free gymnasium facilities, accessible both on and off duty, which cater for a range of physical training activities and sports. Gymnasiums on military bases are staffed by professionally qualified Physical Training Instructors. Armed Forces personnel are required to undertake regular fitness tests.

Ministry of Defence: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) reports National Statistics on FOI request timeliness which is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics#2022 The department responded to 86.5% of all requests received within the timeframe set out in the legislation for financial year 2022-23, this is an improvement on the previous financial year. The MOD operates a devolved system to answer FOI requests. There is a centralised FOI policy team dedicated to working with teams across Defence and the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), to find ways to drive improvement performance. This includes delivery of regular training sessions and meetings to share best practices and highlight the importance of answering requests in a compliant and timely manner. The MOD aims to meet our obligations under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act which states all requests should be answered within 20-working days. The Department monitors performance against the timeliness targets set out by the Information Commissioners Office monthly and reports to the Defence Board on a quarterly basis.

Ministry of Defence: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence, particularly from Parliamentarians. The Cabinet Office's Guide to Handling Correspondence available on gov.uk, requests departments and agencies to respond to correspondence within a 20-working day target deadline. With regards to timeliness of responses to enquiries received by members, the Cabinet Office published data on this for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022 Every effort must be made to reply to correspondence promptly and within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the correspondence require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline.

Armed Forces: Foreign Nationals

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of people serving in the armed forces who originate from outside the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth of Nations.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The hon. Member's question has been answered on the basis of numbers of Regular Service Personnel who have a Commonwealth nationality recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. Table 1. The strength of UK trade trained and untrained Regulars1 with a Commonwealth2 Nationality3,4 as at 1 April 2023. ServiceCountRoyal Navy/Royal Marines890Army4,160Royal Air Force180Grand Total5,230 Notes/Caveats: 1.UK Regulars comprise Full time Service personnel, including Nursing Services, but excluding Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) personnel, Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS), Locally Engaged Personnel (LEP), Non Regular Permanent Staff (NRPS), High Readiness Reserve (HRR) and Expeditionary Forces Institute (EFI) personnel.2.The Commonwealth grouping includes all personnel with a nationality, as recorded on the JPA system at the time of publication, that is reported in the British Nationality Act 1981, SCHEDULE 3 (Countries Whose Citizens are Commonwealth Citizens), further information of which is available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/61/schedule/3 Figures relating to personnel with a nationality, as recorded on JPA, of Gambian or Zimbabwean are currently still included in the Commonwealth grouping.3.As nationality is a non-mandatory field, nationality is as currently recorded and not necessarily the same as at birth or when recruited. Therefore, Commonwealth personnel who have changed nationality (for example naturalised to a British Citizen) may or may not have updated their JPA record.4. The question has requested Commonwealth personnel only. This will differ from the Biannual Diversity Statistics, which provides a combined nationality breakdown of Commonwealth and Irish. These figures may not capture the full cohort of Commonwealth personnel who joined the UK Regular Forces, as a number of personnel may have changed from a Commonwealth nationality to a British nationality. Figures in this table have been rounded to the nearest 10, though numbers ending in a “5” have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent the systematic bias caused by always rounding numbers upwards.

Ministry of Defence: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The responses sent by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) between 1 August 2023 and 31 August 2023 were issued, on average, 20 days after the Subject Access Request (SAR) was received.This is considered adequate as it complies with data protection legislation. Data protection legislation requires MOD to respond to SARs within one month of receipt, unless they are complex.

Ministry of Defence: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions.There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office's Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet. This can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdfDepartmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is publishedat the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.Every effort is made to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions withinthe original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which (a) Minister and (b) military personnel in his Department has responsibility for establishing the disqualifying medical conditions for Armed Forces recruitment in the (i) regulars and (ii) Reserves for each service.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the interview by the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families with the Financial Times on 9 August 2023, whether his Department plans to review the disqualifying medical conditions for armed forces recruitment in the (a) regulars and (b) reserves for each service.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Director General Defence Medical Services (DG DMS) has responsibility for medical policy within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Head Research and Clinical Innovation within Defence Medical Services is responsible for the policy development process and holds authority to publish medical policy on behalf of the DG DMS and MOD.To ensure operational efficiency and the safety of all personnel, we expect all Armed Forces entrants to be able to serve, fit and healthy, for the period of their engagement. Consequently, there are a number of medical conditions that are a bar to Service that would not be an impediment to most other careers.Medical entry standards applied to both regular and reserve forces are regularly reviewed by subject matter experts, military health professionals and military occupational physicians. Based on the medical evidence available and an understanding of the occupational implications of any medical condition, the medical standards for recruitment are developed and subsequently modified over time in response to both changing medical evidence and development of military demands.

Armed Forces: Vacancies

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the interview by the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families with the Financial Times on 9 August 2023, what recent estimate he has made of the shortfall of (a) engineers, (b) chefs and (c) psychiatrists in the armed forces.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) undertakes detailed workforce planning for the Armed Forces but does not publish projections of trained strength. MOD places information on skills gaps in the public domain as part of the Annual Report and Accounts each year, the latest edition of which can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministry-of-defence-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

Merlin Helicopters: Early Warning Systems

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the out-of-service date is for Crowsnest.

James Cartlidge: I will write to the hon. Member with the detail requested and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Workplace Pensions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many wives of deceased servicemen have been denied payments from the Armed Forces Pension Scheme as they were not married at the time of demobilisation in each of the past five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The information requested is not collated or held electronically. The information could only be generated at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Workplace Pensions

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many wives of deceased servicemen have been awarded discretionary pension payments despite not qualifying under the rules of the  Armed Forces Pension Scheme in each of the last five years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Armed Forces Pension Scheme's rules are enshrined in legislation. Therefore, no discretionary pension payments can be made to an individual unless all eligibility criteria are met.Delegated authority from the Defence Council does allow for consideration of cases in view of making a Discretionary Widows award. However, there are five strict qualifying criteria, and the widow must meet all five in order receive such a payment.A central record of applications for a discretionary award is not kept. However, following a recent Freedom of Information Request a physical search of 144 widows-related enquiries received since 30 June 2022 identified eight cases where an application was made. Of these cases, seven met all the qualifying criteria and were accepted for a discretionary award. The one case that was rejected for the discretionary award failed to meet the full qualifying criteria.To identify every application during the previous five years would incur disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Housing

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to strengthen the performance of contractors employed under Future Defence Infrastructure Services contracts.

James Cartlidge: The Department set out an expectation that suppliers must demonstrate they can sustain performance at or above the Acceptable Level of Performance (ALP). Ministry of Defence (MOD) Officials hold regular scrutiny meetings with the Chief Executives of these suppliers to continue to hold them to account, to drive performance improvements and deliver the best possible service to for Service personnel and their families. Ministers have also met with contractor Chief Executives to direct action and have received and acted on frequent updates on performance progress. The Department has also exercised to the fullest extent, its contractual rights to withhold fixed and variable profit in respect of the delivery of the contractual performance measures.

Veterans UK

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing hon. Members to contact Veterans UK by email to discuss individual personnel.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Ministers are accountable to Parliament for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments. Parliamentarians have direct access to Ministers, and any information they require from the department should be provided by Ministers.This is intended to ensure that only accurate and releasable information is provided and that Ministers can assure themselves of that before it is released.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194671 on Armed Forces: Recruitment, whether his Department is providing additional resources to help meet these recruitment targets.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Additional resources have been committed and there are currently a number of measures in place to support recruitment including additional funding for marketing, new creative adverts, revamped recruiting websites and targeted financial incentives. Tri-Service recruiting reform is a critical activity for Defence and, as such, will continue to be prioritised and resourced accordingly.

BOWMAN Combat Radio System

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current out of service date is for Bowman.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of Armour MBT 2025.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of Armoured Cavalry 2025.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, What the (a) original and (b) current in-service date is of Astute Boats 1-7.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, What the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Marlet programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, What the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Brimstone 3 programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, What the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Chinook Capability Sustainment Programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Crowsnest programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the E-7 Wedgetail programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the European Common Radar System Mk2 programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Fleet Solid Support Ships programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Future Combat Air System.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Future Cruise Anti-Ship Weapon programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Ground Based Air Defence programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Maritime Electronic Warfare Programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence,  what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Meteor programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Mine Hunting Capability Programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the New Medium Helicopter programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Protector programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of Sea Venom.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of Skynet 6.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of Spearcap 3.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Spearfish upgrade programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Type 31e programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in service date is of the Clyde Infrastructure major project.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of AURORA.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current in programme completion date is of the Core Production Capability programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the Defence Estate Optimisation programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of Future Defence Infrastructure Services.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion is of the Joint Crypt Key Programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the Land Environment Tactical Communications and Information Systems programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the Land Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the Maritime Patrol Aircraft programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the MARSHALL programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the MENSA facility construction.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of MODnet Evolve.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of Naval Support Integrated Global Network

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of New Style of Information Technology (Base).

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of New Style of Information Technology (Deployed)

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of Next Generation (fixed) Communication Network

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the PEGASUS facility construction.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the Submarine Dismantling Project.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of the Submarine Waterfront Infrastructure Future programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current programme completion date is of TEUTATES.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned (a) initial and (b) full operating capability date is for the Carrier Enabled Power Projection Programme.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) current whole life costs of A400M are.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) most recent estimate was of the whole life cost of Armour MBT 2025.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) most recent estimate was of the whole life cost of Armoured Cavalry 2025.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) most recent estimate was of the whole life cost of Astute Boats 1-7.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) most recent estimate was of the whole life cost of Aurora.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) original and (b) most recent estimate was of the whole life cost of Brimstone 3.

James Cartlidge: It will take time to collate and analyse the information requested in the right hon. Member's questions. To ensure I can provide as much detail as possible, I will write to him with the detail requested once it has been collated and a copy of my letters will be placed in the Library of the House.

Type 23 Frigates

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2023 to Question 195934, how much of the £676.7 million allocated for Type 23 frigate upkeep has been (a) spent and (b) allocated for 2023-24.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2023 to Question 195934, if he will provide a breakdown by vessel of (a) spending and (b) allocation of the £676.7 million for Type 23 frigate upkeep.

James Cartlidge: In the financial year 2023-24, £100 million has been allocated for Type 23 frigate Upkeep and of this sum about £37 million has been spent in-year.It is not possible to provide a breakdown of allocation or expenditure by vessel for future work. Funds for Type 23 Upkeeps are not allocated on a per ship or per Upkeep basis. The work required to be undertaken on a vessel over and above pre-planned capability insertions, and therefore the overall baseline costs, are established by survey of the vessel at the commencement of each Upkeep period.

Challenger Tanks

Mr Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the military capability provided by (a) Challenger 3 armoured vehicles and (b) other tanks.

James Cartlidge: The Army’s Challenger 3 Main Battle Tank Programme will deliver 148 modernised Main Battle Tanks, providing Defence’s only guaranteed, 24 hour, all weather, mobile anti-tank capability, delivering a step change in lethality and survivability over its predecessors. Alongside Ajax and Boxer, Challenger 3 will form the backbone of the Armoured Brigade Combat Teams, which are the cornerstone of the UK warfighting capability and an essential component of NATO’s deterrence objectives.

Challenger Tanks

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the (a) quality and (b) timely delivery of RBSL's contract to upgrade Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks to Challenger 3 specifications.

James Cartlidge: As with any major project DE&S works closely with its industry partners, ensuring performance through routine day-to-day engagement and regular programme reviews.Having successfully completed its Critical Design Review in January 2023, in line with the contract, Challenger 3 prototype vehicles are now in build at RBSL, Telford, ahead of physical trials starting in 2024. DE&S is actively monitoring progress and supporting RBSL's wider business development as part of a collaborative drive for success on this vital Army programme.

Shipbuilding

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who has taken on the role of Shipbuilding Tsar.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who the Shipbuilding Tsar is.

James Cartlidge: In addition to being appointed Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend for Welywn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) will also be taking on the role of Shipbuilding Tsar.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Digital Technology: Disability

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure digital (a) inclusion and (b) accessibility for people with disabilities online.

Paul Scully: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating His Majesty’s Government’s digital inclusion policy and aims to ensure that as many people as possible, no matter their age, can overcome the barriers of digital inclusion and make the most of digital opportunities. The Government is working to remove barriers and ensure that online services are as inclusive as possible by making public sector websites accessible to as many people as possible.The accessibility regulations ensure that websites and mobile apps are designed to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Furthermore, assisted digital support services aim to increase digital inclusion for those online users who lack digital confidence, digital skills or access to the internet.We also recognise that ongoing support is essential to overcome barriers of access. Through DCMS, our network of 2,900 public libraries across England provide a trusted network of accessible locations with staff, volunteers, free wifi, public PCs, and assisted digital access to a wide range of digital services. Charities such as Age UK and AbilityNet play an important role in assisting people with access to technology and the internet.The Government also understands the impact of poorly designed apps and websites, which do not take people with disabilities into account. That is why, Cabinet Office’s Central Digital and Data Office regularly monitors compliance with the regulations for the accessibility of public sector websites.

Broadband: Social Tariffs

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to increase public awareness of broadband social tariffs.

Sir John Whittingdale: Information about social tariffs continues to be promoted through the Government’s Help for Households webpage and other promotional materials. We are also taking advantage of existing cross-government channels - including libraries, the school networks and jobcentre work coaches, to highlight social tariffs to eligible people directly. The Department continues to work closely with Ofcom - who have a regulatory duty to monitor affordability in the telecoms market - to push operators to do more to promote their social tariff offers. On 7 July 2023, Melanie Dawes, Chief Executive of Ofcom, wrote to industry leaders to set out the regulator’s expectation that they take practical action to increase awareness.

Digital Technology: Training

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to increase funding for digital inclusion and skills.

Paul Scully: Digital SkillsThe Government recognises that digital skills are becoming ever more important in the economy. Last year, we launched the UK Digital Strategy, which set out our commitment to develop digital skills across the whole of the UK. To grow the digital workforce in the UK, the government has introduced a range of interventions across the digital skills pipeline and at all levels. This includes ensuring there is a range of flexible courses available for people already in the workforce. As part of Skills for Life, the government launched Skills Bootcamps, which offer free, flexible courses lasting up to 16 weeks, with a guaranteed job interview at the end. The Department for Education is increasing investment to up to £150 million this year. To provide people with the opportunity to develop specialised AI and data skills, even for those who have no previous experience, the government has made a £30 million investment via two phases in AI and Data science conversion courses. The government is committed to ensuring the tech sector is diverse, which is why the government has funded scholarships for underrepresented groups to earn a masters degree on these courses, and has supported the Tech Talent Charter (TCC) since 2017.Digital Inclusion The government is committed to closing the digital divide and meeting our commitment that nobody should be left behind in the digital age. This directly supports the UK’s Digital Strategy and its “vision to enable everyone, from every industry and across the UK, to benefit from all that digital innovation can offer.” Supporting people to engage in an increasingly digitalised world involves overcoming the barriers to access, skills, motivation and trust identified in the government’s digital inclusion strategy. A range of departments support the government’s approach to removing these barriers. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is tackling these issues by continuing to invest in digital infrastructure to broaden gigabit-capable and mobile-network coverage. To support low income households stay connected, the Government continues to work with telecoms providers to ensure market provision of low-cost broadband and mobile tariffs. The Department for Education are providing access to essential digital skills courses through the Essential Digital Entitlement and the Adult Education budget. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are leveraging our national network of libraries to serve as an alternative point of internet access with in-person support. Department for Work and Pensions are referring claimants to essential digital skills courses to improve their chances of securing employment and supporting eligible claimants with the provision of devices and connectivity connection. Cabinet Office is setting an example by monitoring the accessibility of all public sector websites to make sure that everyone, including people with disabilities and impairments, can access public services.

Digital Technology

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to publish a revised Digital Inclusion Strategy.

George Freeman: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to closing the digital divide and meeting the government’s commitment that nobody should be left behind in the digital age. The 2014 Digital Inclusion Strategy, and the four pillars it sets out, remains as relevant today as it was when published. These principles were further echoed in the Government’s UK Digital Strategy published in 2022, and our vision to enable everyone from across the UK to benefit from all that digital innovation can offer.The Department has noted this recommendation in the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee’s report on digital exclusion and cost of living and will formally respond this month.

Weather: Forecasts

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps the Meteorological Office is taking to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts.

George Freeman: The Met Office is one of the world’s leading meteorological services and maintains a detailed ‘forecast accuracy roadmap’ demonstrating how it will deliver improvements over the next 5 years across timescales ranging from 0 hours to 7 days ahead. Improvements focus on Science and Operations and include activities such as exploiting enhancements in the Numerical Weather Prediction brought about by investment in new Supercomputing capability, improvements to the weather observations which feed its models, and advances in the way data is accessed by its operational experts. These improvements are scrutinised and governed by the Public Weather Service Customer Group.

Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access: Life Sciences

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of potential links between the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access and levels of foreign direct investment in life sciences.

George Freeman: The Government has considered in broad terms the link between volume-based rebate payments in our medicine pricing schemes and various kinds of investment in our Impact Assessment of updates to the Statutory Scheme for branded medicines pricing, which operates alongside voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access (VPAS). The Government’s 2023 Impact Assessment of updates to the Statutory Scheme can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-scheme-to-control-the-cost-of-branded-health-service-medicines.We are in close discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Business and Trade about the business environment for life sciences and its impact on investment.

Cybersecurity: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many (a) schools and (b) students were participating in CyberFirst programmes in (i) Enfield North constituency, (ii) the London Borough of Enfield and (iii) London as of 1 September 2023.

George Freeman: The National Cyber Security Centre delivers a range of initiatives through CyberFirst, including a schools and colleges recognition programme, the undergraduate bursary scheme, and the CyberFirst Girls Competition for 12-13 year olds. As part of this effort, DSIT also delivers the Cyber Explorers platform for 11-14 year olds.In London there were 431 teams from 46 schools entered the CyberFirst Girls Competition last year. A further 204 schools participate in the Cyber Explorers online platform, including 7 in the London Borough of Enfield and 5 in the Enfield North constituency.There have been 122 undergraduate students accepted on the CyberFirst bursary scheme studying at universities in London. A further 4,387 learners are registered on Cyber Explorers in London, including 70 in the London Borough of Enfield and 22 in the Enfield North constituency. A total of 328 students have applied to attend a CyberFirst summer course at Royal Holloway University.

Life Sciences: Foreign Investment in UK

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the document entitled Life Sciences Competitiveness Indicators 2023, published on 13 July 2023, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the reduction in (a) inward life sciences foreign direct investment and (b) equity finance raised by life sciences companies in 2022.

George Freeman: The reduction in the estimated value of inward life sciences foreign direct investment and in equity finance raised in 2022 was not unique to the UK. Other global business environments, such as the USA, also saw falls in investment and equity raised. This was in large part due to changes in the life sciences investment environment following the COVID-19 pandemic and broader economic factors. Regardless, the department is acting in the face of fierce global competition. DSIT, DHSC and the Treasury announced a package of measures in May 2023, backed by over £650 million in funding, to reverse this decline.

Research: Kidney Diseases

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2023 to Question 190639 on Kidney Diseases, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for kidney disease research.

George Freeman: UK Research and Innovation funds research and innovation on a competitive basis, with individual applications being assessed by independent experts. In general, funding is not ring-fenced for specific conditions partly because the causes, treatments and cures for different diseases often overlap. No assessment has therefore been made of the potential merits of ring-fencing funding for kidney disease research.

Department for Education

Childcare

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to set a target for the Childminder grants scheme.

David Johnston: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government recognises that registering as a childminder can be costly, and that the cost of registration can be a barrier for some prospective childminders. We are therefore introducing financial help in the form of grants.The overall budget available for Childminder Start-up Grant Scheme is £7.2 million. This budget would be able to provide approximately 8,500 grants, based on the assumption that 75% of applicants will register with Ofsted and 25% will register with a Childminder Agency (CMA).The scheme will provide grant funding of either £600 or £1,200 to new childminders upon the completion of registration activities. Childminders can register with either Ofsted or a CMA.There is no target for this scheme. However, the department’s aim is to increase the number of childminders in the system. As such, our objective for this scheme is to maximise take-up, and thus increase the number of new childminders.

Department for Education: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Nick Gibb: The Secretary of State and Department for Education Ministers regularly travel across the country visiting educational institutions, including nurseries, schools, colleges and universities. The Department receives many requests for visits and tries to visit settings across a broad geography, within the constraints of Departmental business and the Parliamentary timetable.

Drag Queen Story Hour UK

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have met representatives of Drag Queen Story Hour UK since 2019.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not have a record of any meetings between Drag Queen Story Hour UK and Ministers, or officials working on curriculum and extra-curricular provision.

ICT: GCSE

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with representatives of Oxford Cambridge and RSA on the adequacy of the GCSE Computer Science examination taken by students on 25 May 2023.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Dr Jo Saxton, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Education: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding her Department has provided to the (a) National Centre for Computing Education (b) Isaac Physics programme, (c) Stimulating Physics Network, (d) Advanced Mathematics Support Programme, (e) SUMS (Steps to University for Mathematical Students) Enrichment Day, (f) T-LevelAmbassador Network and (g) Inclusion in Schools project in each year for which data is available.

Nick Gibb: Funding details for the National Centre for Computing Education, the Isaac Physics programme, the Stimulating Physics Network, the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) and the Inclusion in Schools project are in the table below.   With regard to SUMS (Steps to University for Mathematical Students) Enrichment Day, this is funded as part of the AMSP programme, therefore the Department does not record a separate breakdown of funding for that.On the T Level Ambassador Network, in the 2022/23 financial year, the Department spent £66,000 establishing and supporting the T Level Ambassador Network to promote and advocate T Levels with employers. National Centre for Computing Education 2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23a) National Centre for Computing Education£7.6m£17.7m£15.6m£17.1m£13.4mMaths Programme 2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-23d) AMSP£6.3m£8.5m£7.1m£7.6m£8.4mScience Programmes 2020-212021-222022-23c) Stimulating Physics Network (SPN)*£2.15m£2.46m£2.11mb) Isaac Physics£0.695m£0.62m£0.86mg) Inclusion in Schools project  £0.59m*SPN includes Inclusion in Schools

Schools: Sanitation

Sir Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of the policies of some schools to close toilets during lesson times on pupils' wellbeing; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department trusts head teachers to develop tailored policies on the use of toilets which reflect their school’s individual contexts and needs. The 2015 Advice on Standards for School Premises is clear that suitable toilet and washing facilities must be provided for the sole use of pupils.It is for schools to find reasonable ways, in accordance with the law, to balance every child’s right to access clean and safe toilet facilities when they need them, with every child’s right to have a safe and calm environment to learn in. In the rare cases where parents or pupils may have concerns, they should speak to their school in the first instance.

Music: Private Tutors

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to introduce free one-on-one musical tuition to students in full-time education from low-income families.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to all pupils receiving a broad and ambitious music curriculum. As set out in the National Plan for Music Education published in 2022, the Department expects schools to teach at least one hour of music lessons per week from September 2023 for 5 to 14-year-olds. The Department also published the non-statutory Model Music Curriculum in 2021, setting world class standards for music teaching for Key Stages 1 to 3.The Charges for Music Tuition (England) Regulations 2007 already make clear that charging may not be made if the teaching is either an essential part of the National Curriculum, or is provided under the first access to Key Stage 2 vocal or instrument tuition. These also make clear that no charge may be made in respect of a pupil who is looked after by a Local Authority. Charges may be made for vocal or instrumental tuition provided either individually, or to groups of any size, as long as the tuition is provided at the request of the pupil’s parent. Charges may not exceed the cost of the provision, including the cost of the staff who provide the tuition.As part of the reforms set out in the National Plan, the Department wants all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument, create music together and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents. As part of achieving this vision, the Department is working with Arts Council England to take forward significant reforms to the national network of Music Hubs, supported by £79 million per annum funding for the Music Hubs programme and £25 million capital for new instruments from 2024. This includes ensuring all schools and Music Hubs have local plans in place to support progression in singing and playing an instrument, including improving access to pupils eligible for the Pupil Premium.The Department is also planning to invest £2 million to support the delivery of a Music Progression Fund programme over four years. The programme will support up to 1,000 disadvantaged pupils to learn how to play an instrument or learn how to sing to a high standard over a sustained period. Pupils eligible for the programme will not be charged to participate and will receive small group and/or individual support.The programme will primarily be delivered in up to six Education Investment Areas across the country, taking into account the differing needs of pupils in each of the areas. The Department is currently considering grant applications to deliver the programme and more details will be published in due course.

National Curriculum Tests

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has plans to review the use of SATs in primary schools.

Nick Gibb: Primary assessments play a crucial role in supporting pupils’ basic understanding of reading, writing and mathematics, and in preparing pupils for secondary school. They allow parents and schools to understand pupils’ achievements in relation to the age related attainment expectations outlined in the National Curriculum.In 2017, the Department carried out a consultation into primary assessment in England, with the aim of creating a settled policy in this area. The consultation received over 4,000 responses from a diverse range of backgrounds and specialisms, providing a broad and informed range of views. The Rochford review consultation took place in parallel. In total it received 594 submissions. The Government response was published in September 2017, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/primary-school-pupil-assessment-rochford-review-recommendations.The reform programme was designed to bring higher standards to primary assessment and to put in place an assessment system that helps teachers and head teachers help all pupils to succeed. The Department has reached the end of the programme of reform to the current primary assessment system that followed these consultations and has no current plans to undertake further major reform. The Department will continue to engage with schools, unions, and other stakeholders to understand their views on assessment.

Further Education and Schools: Finance

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will increase funding for (a) schools and (b) colleges.

Nick Gibb: This Government is committed to providing a world class education system for all children and has channelled significant funding into education to achieve that.The Autumn Statement in November 2022 announced that there would be an additional £2 billion of funding in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review. In July 2023, the Department announced a further £525 million of funding in 2023/23, to support schools with the teachers’ pay award, and £900 million in 2024/25. This means funding for mainstream schools and high needs is over £3.9 billion higher in 2023/24 alone, compared to 2022/23, on top of a £4 billion cash increase last year. That represents a 16% increase in just two years.In 2024/25, school funding will be more than £59.6 billion, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.This additional funding will enable head teachers to continue to spend in the areas that the Department knows positively impact educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most.The Department has also increased overall funding for 16 to 19 education, with an extra £1.6 billion of funding provided in the 2024/25 financial year compared with 2021/22, which is the biggest increase in 16 to 19 funding in a decade.   16 to 19 funding has seen significant recent increases. In January 2023, the Department announced funding of £125 million for the 2023/24 financial year. In July 2023, the Department announced a further £185 million for the 2023/24 financial year and £285 million for the 2024/25 financial year.This funding will help colleges and other 16 to 19 providers to address key priorities as they see fit, including tackling recruitment and retention issues in high value technical, vocational and academic provision which are of critical importance to economic growth and prosperity.

Chess

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to promote chess in schools.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to supporting pupils to have access to a wide range of enrichment opportunities, such as chess, which can be an important part of a rich educational experience. On 22 August 2023 the Department announced that it is providing £200,000 to at least 100 primary schools to improve access to chess for young people, particularly targeting girls and those receiving free school meals, who have been historically underrepresented in the game of chess. These grants will enable schools to purchase chess sets, provide access to weekly online chess tutorials, set up online platforms and access curriculum planning materials for teachers. The schools that are awarded this grant will share best practice on how other schools could establish strong chess enrichment to complement their existing provision.

Secondary Education: Teachers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the average staff to student ratio was in secondary schools in Romford constituency in (a) 2009, (b) 2019 and (c) 2022.

Nick Gibb: Information on the school workforce, including the pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios at national, regional, Local Authority and individual school level, is published in the ‘School workforce in England’ statistical publication here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As at November 2022, the latest data available, there were over 468,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, which is an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes the highest number of FTE teachers since the school workforce census began in 2010.The table below provides the pupil to adult ratio and the pupil to teacher ratio for state funded secondary schools in Romford constituency and England for the 2019/20 and 2022/23 academic years. Equivalent figures for 2009/10 are not available.Pupil to adult and pupil to teacher ratios for state funded secondary schools in Romford constituency and England, by academic year2019/20 and 2022/231 Romford constituencyEngland Pupil to adult ratio2,4Pupil to teacher ratio3,4Pupil to adult ratio2,4Pupil to teacher ratio3,42019/2011.916.111.916.62022/2312.116.412.016.8Source: School Workforce Census.1. Workforce data as at November and pupil data as at the following January. For instance, 2019/20 relates to November 2019 workforce and January 2020 pupils.2. Pupil to adult ratio includes teachers and support staff (excluding administrative and auxiliary staff).3. Pupil to teacher ratio includes all teachers.4. The ratios are calculated using pupil numbers taken from the publication, ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-pupils-and-their-characteristics

Pupils: Absenteeism

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department has made an estimate of the number of children missing education.

Nick Gibb: The Department collects data on children missing education, which means those who are not registered at school or otherwise receiving suitable education, from Local Authorities on a voluntary basis. The latest figures can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-missing-education.On census day in spring 2023, Local Authorities reported an estimated 24,700 children missing education. This figure includes adjustments made for non response and is based on a figure of 23,100 reported by 92% of Local Authorities.Local Authorities identified an estimated 94,900 children missing education at some point during the 2021/22 academic year. This figure includes adjustments made for non response and is based on a figure of 83,600 reported by 86% of Local Authorities.

Private Education: Charities

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent estimate of the potential impact of removing charitable status from independent schools on the number of students in schools in the state sector.

Nick Gibb: The Government has no plans to remove charitable status from independent schools. Therefore, no estimate has been made of the potential impact of such a change on the number of students who would move into the state sector.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with trade unions on trends in levels of per pupil spending since 2010-11.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with trade unions on the impact of increases in inflation on schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department meets regularly with trade unions to discuss a wide range of issues, including school funding.The November 2022 Autumn Statement announced additional funding of £2 billion in each of 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review, and matching what unions told us was needed in their open letter last year.The Department recognises that inflation continues to impact schools, as it does in other sectors. In July 2023, the Department announced an additional £525 million this year to support schools with the teachers’ pay award, and £900 million in 2024/25.This means funding for mainstream schools and high needs is over £3.9 billion higher in 2023/24 alone, compared to 2022/23, in addition to a £4 billion cash increase last year. That’s a 16% increase in two years. Next year, school funding will be more than £59.6 billion, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil, as measured by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Special Educational Needs: Teachers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to recruit more teachers for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Nick Gibb: Recent data shows that there are now over 468,000 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers in state funded schools in England, an increase of 27,000 (6%) since 2010. This makes it the highest number of FTE teachers on record since the School Workforce Census began in 2010.All teachers are teachers of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Department is committed to ensuring that all pupils can reach their potential and receive excellent support from their teachers.The Teachers’ Standards set clear expectations that teachers must understand the needs of all pupils. All trainees who achieve Qualified Teacher Status must demonstrate that they can adapt teaching to respond to the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.To support all teachers in meeting these standards, the Department is implementing a ‘golden thread’ of high quality teacher training reforms which begins with initial teacher training (ITT) and continues throughout their career progression.In May 2023, the Department published guidance for accredited ITT providers and their partners, to support the involvement of special schools and alternative provision in ITT. The guidance can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1157879/ITT_-_special_schools_and_alternative_provision_May_2023.pdf#:~:text=It%20has%20been%20produced%20to%20help%20accredited%20Initial,units%2C%20and%20mainstream%20schools%20with%20SEN%20resource%20units.The Department’s reforms to teacher recruitment and retention will support all teachers, including teachers of children with SEND.

Schools: Uniforms

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's statutory guidance on the Cost of school uniforms published on 19 November 2021, whether her Department has received any complaints from (a) parents and (b) carers in England on the guidance in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2021.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools her Department has communicated with about complaints concerning uniform policy costs since November 2021.

Nick Gibb: The Department started recording complaints from parents and carers about compliance with the cost of school uniforms guidance in September 2022, when the statutory guidance, published in November 2021, came into force.The Department received no complaints in 2021 and received two complaints in 2022. Since the guidance came into force, the Department has contacted three schools about complaints concerning schools not complying with the statutory guidance on the cost of school uniforms.The statutory guidance can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-school-uniforms/cost-of-school-uniforms.

Ofsted: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of Ofsted have previous experience in the sector that they regulate.

Nick Gibb: The role of Ofsted’s chair and non-executive board is to determine strategic priorities, objectives and targets for Ofsted, and to provide challenge and support in relation to the inspectorate’s overall work and performance.Board members are appointed by the Secretary of State and recruitment processes follow the public appointment guidelines. All board members have the appropriate strategic and corporate expertise to perform their roles effectively. That includes board members with experience of working in the sectors in which Ofsted operates, as well as other relevant experience, including of other regulators, other services and third sector organisations that support children and young people. Ofsted’s board membership is set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted/about/our-governance.Recruitment of Ofsted’s employees is a matter for Ofsted, as a separate government department. I have therefore asked His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, to write to the hon. Member for Shipley directly on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Relationships and Sex Education

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to consult parents as part of the consultation of statutory guidance on relationships education, relationships and sex education and health education.

Nick Gibb: All parents will have an opportunity to present their views as part of the public consultation on revised guidance due to be launched in the autumn of this year.In developing revised guidance for consultation, the Department asked a range of stakeholders, including a number of groups representing parents, to share evidence about areas of the guidance they would like to see strengthened.Parents have also been invited to contribute their views directly in roundtables with Ministers, focusing on key topics such as suicide prevention and teaching materials for relationships, sex and health education.

Pupil Premium: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils were eligible for the Pupil Premium in Stockport constituency on 6 September 2023.

Nick Gibb: The Government provides additional funding through the Pupil Premium to support disadvantaged pupils. The Pupil Premium rates have increased by 5% for 2023/24, taking total Pupil Premium funding nationally to almost £2.9 billion.According to the most recent data, as of June 2023, 2,814 full time equivalent pupils were eligible for Pupil Premium in Stockport constituency this year, equating to £3,922,475 in funding. The Department publishes Pupil Premium allocations, including at constituency level, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pupil-premium-allocations-and-conditions-of-grant-2023-to-2024.

Free School Meals: Eligibility

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of (a) raising and (b) tapering the threshold for free school meals.

Nick Gibb: Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving a free school meal (FSM) has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.The Department believes that the current eligibility threshold level, which enables pupils in low income households to benefit from FSM while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one. The Department does not have plans to change the current eligibility conditions for FSM. The Department continues to keep eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. The Department also continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments to provide support to disadvantaged families.

Free School Meals

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of research from the Child Poverty Action Group that 900,000 children in England were living in poverty without access to free school meals; if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of free school meal provision; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other Government Departments in providing support. The Department will continue to keep free school meal (FSM) eligibility under review, ensuring that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.Since 2010, the number of pupils receiving FSM has increased by more than two million. This increase in provision is due to the introduction of Universal Infant Free School Meals and protections put in place as benefit recipients move across to Universal Credit. Over a third of pupils in England now receive FSM, compared with one in six in 2010.

Apprentices: Rossendale and Darwen

Sir Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support apprenticeships in Rossendale and Darwen constituency.

Robert Halfon: Apprenticeships are crucial in driving growth and social mobility. They boost skills across the economy and improve people's earnings and career opportunities nationwide. Since 2010, there have been 13,680 apprenticeship starts in the Rossendale and Darwen constituency, and we want to ensure that this number continues to grow.The Accrington and Rossendale College offers high-quality apprenticeship training with a particular focus on the construction and automotive sectors. Blackburn College is supporting people to develop the skills and knowledge they need for a rewarding career in a variety of industries.To continue this growth in starts, the government is increasing its investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, encouraging more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices. The department has introduced flexible training models, such as flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible, and has improved the transfer system so that levy-payers can make better use of their funds. We are also supporting employers to access apprenticeships by reducing administrative burdens and cutting by a third the number of steps needed to register to take on an apprentice.The department recognises the vital role that small to medium-sized employers (SMEs) play in creating apprenticeship opportunities. That is why we removed the limit on the number of apprentices that smaller employers can take on, making it easier for SMEs to grow their businesses with the skilled apprentices they need.We are also allocating an additional £40 million over the next two years to support degree apprenticeship providers to expand and help more people access this provision, on top of the £8 million investment in 2022/23.We continue to promote apprenticeships to young people in schools and further education colleges across the country through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme, and UCAS will be expanding its service to allowing students to search for and apply to apprenticeships alongside degrees.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Temporary Accommodation: Standards

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that temporary accommodation used to house homeless children is a suitable standard.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps to reduce the number of councils offering temporary accommodation outside of their areas.

Felicity Buchan: Local authorities must ensure any temporary accommodation placement is suitable and should try to place individuals within their own area. Government has been clear that the long-term use of B&B accommodation for families with children is inappropriate and unlawful and we are determined to stop this practice.If an authority places a household in temporary accommodation outside of the local area, this should be as a last resort, and they should still try to place the household as near as possible to the original local authority.The Government is taking steps to increase quality and regulation across all housing stock, including temporary accommodation. This includes reviewing the Decent Homes Standard, improving the way social housing is regulated through The Social Housing Regulation Act and delivering a better deal for renters through the Renters Reform Bill.The Government has provided local authorities in excess of £1 billion over the next 3 years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant to help them prevent homelessness and provide temporary accommodation.

Redundancy

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many organisations are waiting to be added to the redundancy modification order list as of 25 August 2023.

Lee Rowley: There are 34 bodies waiting to be added to the Redundancy Modification Order.

Social Rented Housing: Fraud

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on how local authorities investigate tenancy fraud allegations where the perpetrator of fraud is experiencing domestic abuse.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) providing guidance on best practice and (b) setting standards for local authority tenancy fraud investigations.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department provides training to local authority legal teams on handling cases involving domestic abuse.

Felicity Buchan: The Department does not hold information on local authority investigations into tenancy fraud cases involving domestic abuse. Training on this matter is the responsibility of local authorities.Government takes social housing fraud seriously and introduced the Prevention of Social Housing Fraud Act 2013 to give social landlords powers to tackle social housing fraud and increased the deterrent to tenants considering cheating the system. Between 2011 and 2015, we provided £19 million of funding to help local authorities, working in partnership with other social landlords, to tackle social housing fraud; and provided funding to support the Chartered Institute of Housing to provide hands-on practical advice to landlords on which policies and procedures work best. We have no plans currently to commission any updated guidance.

Help to Buy Scheme: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many houses were bought using the Help to Buy Equity Loan Scheme in Stockport constituency between 1 April 2021 and 31 May 2023.

Rachel Maclean: Data on the number of households in England which have benefitted from the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme in each Local Authority area can be found in the latest HtB Equity Loan scheme statistics.

Water: Pollution Control

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that his proposals to reform the nutrient neutrality regime accommodate schemes already agreed with (a) Natural England and (b) local planning authorities.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is acting to unblock 100,000 homes and to address the underlying sources of nutrient pollution. The Government has made £280 million funding available to Natural England to enable the current approach to mitigation schemes and associated credit markets to evolveUnder the new arrangements, Natural England, DEFRA, and DLUHC will work with local authorities and third parties to deliver strategic interventions which can reduce excess nutrients and support the recovery of protected sites. This will build on current mitigation schemes and engage with the future pipeline of potential schemes, across the public, private and conservation sectors.Our ambition is to move as quickly as possible to ensure real world environmental benefits are secured alongside new housing delivery. This means establishing a strategic approach for catchments that offsets the limited nutrients outflow from new housing at the same time as starting to restore Habitats Sites which are in a poor condition due to excess nutrients.The expertise of local authorities and Natural England will be hugely valuable in targeting interventions to the right places, thereby maximising benefits for water quality, people, and nature.

Homelessness

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to monitor local authority homeless strategies in respect of their ability to (a) prevent homelessness, (b) achieve value for money and (c) promote best practice.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help Hastings Council (a) reduce their expenditure on temporary accommodation, (b) reduce housing pressures and (c) manage their financial stability.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an estimate of the ten local authorities with the highest expenditure on temporary accommodation as a proportion of their total revenue budgets.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of funding temporary accommodation on the financial stability of local authorities.

Paula Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to assist  local authorities with the highest proportion of spend on temporary accommodation relative to their overall revenue.

Felicity Buchan: The Government publishes statistics on local authority revenue expenditure and financing in England, which can be found here: Local authority revenue expenditure and financing England: 2023-24 budget - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).  Councils are ultimately responsible for the management of their own finances. At the last Local Government Finance Settlement, Government made available up to £59.7 billion for local government in England, an increase in Core Spending Power of £5.1 billion or 9.4% in cash terms on 2022/23.  The Homelessness Advice and Support Team (HAST) in DLUHC are set up across the country to provide advice, support and challenge to Local Authorities to help them improve the delivery of homelessness services to families and single people. Each Local Authority has a dedicated adviser.

Homelessness: Ukraine

Olivia Blake: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of people from Ukraine that have sought homelessness support after being in the UK for more than six months since February 2023.

Felicity Buchan: Some of this information is published via survey data which is voluntarily provided and regularly updated on gov.uk.

Social Services: Mental Health

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support services that support people with multiple disadvantages and implement trauma-informed approaches.

Felicity Buchan: The Department is committed to improving services for people and families experiencing multiple disadvantage. The Changing Futures programme is a £77 million programme, funded by Government and The National Lottery Community Fund, that tests innovative approaches to service provision to improve outcomes for people experiencing multiple disadvantage. The programme is led by DLUHC and directly supports people in fifteen local areas in England who experience multiple disadvantage, including combinations of three or more of homelessness; substance misuse; mental health issues; domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system.

Temporary Accommodation: Storage

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what support his Department provides to people living in temporary accommodation who need to store furniture after an eviction.

Felicity Buchan: Where a housing authority owes a household a homelessness duty the housing authority must take reasonable steps to prevent the loss of, or to prevent or mitigate damage to, any personal property of the applicant. Housing authorities may pay for storage of a household's personal property if they are unable to afford to have it stored themselves.The Government has provided local authorities in excess of £1 billion over the next 3 years through the Homelessness Prevention Grant to carry out their homelessness duties.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many UK citizens have taken part in the Homes for Ukraine guest since its establishment.

Felicity Buchan: The information requested is not held centrally.

Public Buildings: Slough

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether any publicly-owned buildings in Slough use reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to provide local authorities with additional funding to assess their estates for the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities have sufficient resources to assess risks posed by the use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of local authorities that are responsible for homes affected by reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC).

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) homes and (b) families that are affected by the use of reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC) in England.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department has taken to estimate the prevalence of the use of reinforced autoclave aerated concrete (RAAC) in housing.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of public toilets that are affected by construction with reinforced autoclave aeratedconcrete(RAAC).

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential prevalence of RAAC in buildings (a) owned and (b) occupied by departmental staff; and whether he has had discussions with local authorities on the potential prevalence of RAAC in local authority- (i) owned and (ii) occupied buildings.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on whether any commercial buildings converted into residential buildings under permitted developed rights contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations on the possible use of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in residential homes in England.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential financial implications for leaseholders who lease a building built with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of whether residential buildings contain reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC); and if he will make a statement.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department is providing to property owners on the potential presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete in their buildings.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) housing associations and (b) local authorities that have identified reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) in their properties as of 5 September 2023.

Lee Rowley: Individual building owners and managers continue to be responsible for health and safety, including responding to safety alerts such as RAAC.Building owners must address safety risks of all kinds in their buildings through a risk-based, proportionate and evidence-based approach. On the 1 May 2019, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety issued a safety alert on the failure of RAAC planks. Local authorities, like other building owners, are advised to follow available professional guidance.The Local Government Association has advised members to check whether any buildings in their estates have RAAC, to ensure it can be identified, assessed, and responded to accordingly. This is accessible on the LGA website and in line with the guidance from the Institution of Structural Engineers. If further buildings are identified as having suspected or confirmed RAAC, building owners and managers should follow the guidance to put appropriate mitigation in place.

Children: Social Services

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the financial resilience of local authorities and the potential impact on children’s services.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions his Department has had with Birmingham City Council on its section 114 notice.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support Birmingham City Council to meet its financial liabilities relating to equal pay claims.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to issue guidance to Birmingham City Council on streamlining their Oracle IT system.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his planned timescale is for negotiations with Birmingham City Council on its financial liabilities.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for which Birmingham City Council issued its section 114 notice.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department takes to assess the adequacy of the financial support provided to councils.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of when the independent governance review into Birmingham City Council will be published.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of council funding mechanisms.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has taken steps to use financial benchmarks to monitor local council budgets.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to help improve (a) transparency and (b) communications with local residents on the financial situations of their councils.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has taken steps to offer (a) financial educational programmes and (b) resources on managing budgets to local councils.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to increase financial scrutiny of (a) the Oracle system and (b) other large local authority IT projects.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to ensure that local councils provide timely and accurate financial information to central government.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a (a) centralised resource and (b) support centre for councils facing financial distress.

Lee Rowley: The department has engaged regularly with Birmingham City Council, including in recent months over the pressures it faces around its failed implementation of the Oracle IT system and its unresolved equal pay liability. We have expressed serious concern over the Council's governance arrangements, and, in April, I requested that the Council commission an independent governance review, which will report on its findings in the coming weeks. I have placed a copy of my correspondence from August with the Leader of the Council in the Library of the House of Commons.Councils are responsible for their own financial management. The department stands ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances. The decision to issue a Section 114 report is a local one, taken by the statutory chief finance officer.In line with the practice of successive administration, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

Social Problems

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help Councils to tackle (a) aggressive begging and (b) anti-social behaviour.

Dehenna Davison: In March 2023, we launched the Anti-social Behaviour (ASB) Action plan backed by £160 million of funding, to crack down on ASB, restoring people's confidence that these crimes will be quickly and visibly punished. The plan outlines Government's intention to ensure begging can be addressed where it is causing a nuisance. We continue to engage with stakeholders on the detail of the replacement proposals following our consultation last year before separate legislation is brought forward at the earliest parliamentary opportunity.

Road Traffic Offences: Enforcement

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will allocate additional funding to local authorities to hire more civil enforcement officers.

Lee Rowley: As per statutory guidance for local authorities in England on civil parking enforcement, this is a responsibility for local government. The statutory guidance can be found here.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Dehenna Davison: Understanding the extent to which the department retains its staff is a key component of our workforce reporting offer and workforce strategy. This information is collected and analysed routinely to help us assess the Department's performance in relation to retaining and growing the right mix of skills and capabilities required to deliver the Department's objectives.The department recognises the importance of having a healthy amount of staff retention and the benefits this brings in relation to sustaining an agile and skilled workforce. We monitor, escalate and address any risks in relation to staff retention.

Planning: Agriculture

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure (a) peri-urban land and (b) high-quality rural land is protected for food growing through the planning system.

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2023 to Question 194553 on Planning: Agriculture, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of consulting on proposals to help support the building of new glasshouses as set out at the Farm to Fork summit in May 2023.

Rachel Maclean: We place great importance on our agriculture and food production, and this is reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Framework already requires local planning authorities to take into account all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, then we have been clear that planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.Our recent consultation on a revised National Planning Policy Framework proposes a change to strengthen current policy on the consideration given to the relative value of agricultural land for food production.

Property Development: Floods

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 3 April 2023 to Question HL6937 on Property Development: Floods, how many new residential properties were constructed within Environment Agency flood zone 3 in financial year 2022/23.

Rachel Maclean: The information requested is not held centrally.

Gazumping

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2023 to Question 119055 on Gazumping, what progress his Department has made on (a) evaluating and (b) encouraging the adoption of voluntary reservation agreements.

Rachel Maclean: The government remains committed to improving the home buying and selling process. We are working with industry to ensure potential buyers have access to the critical information they need to know – including tenure type, lease length and service charges – in an accurate and timely digital format.  This will help them to make informed decisions about whether to purchase a property, reducing the likelihood of the sale falling through. We will provide further details on our plans to reform the home buying and selling system in due course.

Flats: Construction

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many purpose-built flats were completed in England in the six months to June 2023.

Rachel Maclean: Annual estimates of the proportion of building control reported new build dwelling completions in England that are purpose built flats are shown in Live Table 254, at the following link. These cover new build dwellings only and should be regarded as a leading indicator of overall housing supply.The department also publishes an annual release entitled 'Housing supply: net additional dwellings, England', which is the primary and most comprehensive measure of housing supply at the following link.

Buildings: Planning Permission

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that local authorities take (a) cultural heritage and (b) the skyline into account when approving new (i) housing and (ii) commercial developments.

Rachel Maclean: In making planning decisions local planning authorities must take account of national planning policy including, where relevant, that around conserving and enhancing the historic environment and achieving well-designed places. The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises that local planning policies and decisions should ensure development that is sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment.   The supporting National Design Guide recognises that well-designed new development relates well to and enhances existing character, responding positively to the features of the site itself and the surrounding context. This includes views inwards and outwards. In addition, the National Model Design Code guides the production of local design codes and encourages local authorities to consider the impact that development will have on the skyline.   Through the Design Code Pathfinder programme, the Office for Place is supporting local councils to produce local design codes which will ensure communities will benefit from beautiful and sustainable places designed for all. The design codes and processes adopted through this programme will serve as examples for others to follow.  The Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill is seeking to strengthen the requirement for the use of local design codes, so that clear rules are set locally about the design of new development.

World Heritage Sites: City of Westminster

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has held with the Mayor for London on the potential impact of the proposed Royal Street development on the preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church.

Rachel Maclean: The Secretary of State has received a number of requests to call in this planning application. These are currently being considered against the published policy on calling in planning applications, and a decision will be issued in due course.

Leasehold: Reform

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on leasehold reform that will retrospectively provide a right to extend a lease by 990 years.

Rachel Maclean: We are due to bring forward further leasehold reforms later in this Parliament and will set out further details in due course.

Flats: Balconies

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will hold discussions with housing developers on the potential impact of the inclusion of balconies in new apartment blocks on residents' mental health.

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will take steps with housing developers to deliver an increase in the proportion of new apartments in urban areas which are built with balconies.

Rachel Maclean: The Government recognises through our national planning policy the importance that new development provides well-designed, healthy and inclusive new homes for all residents.In support of this, our National Design Guide, which informs the preparation of local planning policies and guidance, emphasises the benefits that access to external private space, including balconies on new apartments, can bring in supporting the health and wellbeing of residents.In addition, the National Model Design Code highlights how local councils can use design codes to consider the provision and size of balconies on new apartments in urban areas, where appropriate in the local context. Design codes can give developers greater certainty on design expectations at an early stage in the planning process.Our national design guidance has been developed in consultation with built environment professionals, including housing developers, with the feedback collated and reviewed prior to publication.

Private Rented Housing: Pets

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the right to request a pet under the Renters (Reform) Bill on people who live in leasehold properties.

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of placing an obligation on superior landlords to not unreasonably refuse a request to keep a pet from a tenant through an immediate landlord.

Rachel Maclean: The Renters (Reform) Bill will ensure that private landlords cannot unreasonably refuse a request from their tenant to keep a pet. The Bill provides added flexibility where they need to obtain consent of a superior landlord when considering a request.

Almshouses: Planning

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department issues to local planning authorities on support for almshouses that are not Regulated Social Landlords under the terms of section 106 affordable housing.

Rachel Maclean: The department does not issue guidance to local planning authorities specifically on this matter. It is up to local planning authorities to determine what contributions should be sought through Section 106 agreements, in line with statutory tests on their use set out in regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Regulations 2010. The department has published guidance on planning obligations to support local authorities with their use.   As part of the National Planning Policy Framework consultation between 22 December 2022 and 2 March 2023, we sought views on how we can help bring forward more community-led housing, including almshouses. We expect to publish a response to the consultation this Autumn.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Dehenna Davison: The department responded to all Subject Access Requests within the permitted statutory deadline for the financial year 2022/23.

Owner Occupation: Carbon Monoxide

Mr Louie French: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has had recent discussions with relevant stakeholders on requirements for the regulation for carbon monoxide alarms in owner-occupied properties.

Mr Louie French: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what discussions he has had with stakeholders on requirements for carbon monoxide alarms in owner-occupied properties.

Dehenna Davison: We have introduced legal obligations on both private and social landlords to provide carbon monoxide detectors in their properties and we have amended the statutory guidance (Approved Document J) supporting Part J of the Building Regulations to require that carbon monoxide alarms are fitted alongside the installation of fixed combustion appliances of any fuel type (excluding gas cookers) in all tenures.We continue to advise homeowners to install carbon monoxide alarms and support the Health and Safety Executive when they recommend these alarms as one useful precaution to give advance warning of carbon monoxide in a property. We also commend the work of the All-Party Parliamentary Carbon Monoxide Group and the Carbon Monoxide and Gas Safety Society.The latest report from the Cross-government Group on Gas Safety and Carbon Monoxide Awareness can be found at Cross government group on gas safety and carbon monoxide (CO) awareness (hse.gov.uk).

Elections: Proof of Identity

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Electoral Commission’s findings in its interim report on the impact of voter ID on voting accessibility during the 2023 local elections in England; and if he will make a statement in response to the Commission's full report.

Dehenna Davison: The Government welcomes the Electoral Commission's interim report on the May 2023 polls, which shows that the vast majority of voters - 99.75% - cast their vote.We will, as set out in legislation, be conducting an evaluation of the implementation of voter identification at the May polls. We are now analysing the Commission's data in more detail and conducting further research with electors and electoral administrators to understand the impact of the new rules. We will publish our evaluation in November.

Housing Associations: Service Charges

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report entitled Housing Association Service Charges Abuse published by the Social Housing Action Campaign in July 2023.

Dehenna Davison: The Government welcomes the report from the Social Housing Action Campaign on housing association service charges. We believe that any charges to leaseholders and social housing tenants should be transparent and communicated effectively, and there should be a clear route to challenge them if things go wrong.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Dehenna Davison: Freedom of Information statistics are published by the Cabinet Office here .

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Dehenna Davison: The Department is continually striving to improve the quality and timeliness of responses. This year the Department has acquired a new case management system.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Dehenna Davison: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber attack.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Dehenna Davison: Departmental performance data for the previous parliamentary session is published by the Procedure Committee here.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Dehenna Davison: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence, and aims to answer at least 80% of correspondence within 20 working days. Our recent performance has been significantly below this standard, so we have taken steps to improve the speed and quality of responses to Members and their constituents.This year, the Department has expanded its central Correspondence Unit, acquired a new case management system, and made a significant reduction to the number of open cases. This has already improved the timeliness and quality of responses to Members, and we expect these to continue to improve. The Cabinet Office published data on the timeliness of responses for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data can be found here.

Housing: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to page 33 of his Department's Disability Action Plan 2023 to 2024: Consultation, published on 18 July 2023, when his Department plans to publish further details of the sector support programme with the Local Government Association which will consider support to councillors and prospective candidates for locally elected office.

Dehenna Davison: The 23/24 sector support programme funded by DLUHC and delivered by the Local Government Association (LGA) has been published and is available on the LGA website here.

Housing Ombudsman Service: Complaints

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken for the Housing Ombudsman Service to process complaints raised in 2022.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2023 to Question 190204 on Housing Ombudsman Service: Complaints, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time for the Housing Ombudsman Service to respond to complaints made regarding (a) housing associations and (b) the private rental sector.

Dehenna Davison: The Department holds Accounting Officer meetings quarterly with the Ombudsman, where the focus is on tracking progress against performance indicators, including complaint handling times.Recognising the growing demand, the Department has supported the Ombudsman by approving year on year increases in membership fees to increase numbers of staff dealing with social housing and private rented sector complaints.

Regulator of Social Housing: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Regulator of Social Housing have previous experience in the sector that they regulate.

Dehenna Davison: The Regulator of Social Housing has clear objectives set out in legislation, which include ensuring registered providers are financially viable, well-governed and supporting the provision of well-managed, good quality homes to their tenants. The Regulator is operationally independent and responsible for ensuring it is able to deliver against those objectives. Information on members of the Regulators board can be found here.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Dehenna Davison: Details of Ministerial visits and meetings are published regularly on Gov.uk.

Burlington House: Tenancy Agreements

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Learned Societies on their tenancy at New Burlington House.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he has held discussions with the Learned Societies at New Burlington House on their public benefit value.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what account his Department takes of the constraints placed upon the Learned Societies by the Charity Commission in its discussions on securing their retention at New Burlington House.

Dehenna Davison: The department has been engaging with the Learned Societies at New Burlington House for several years in efforts to find a viable solution that will enable them to deliver public value and remain in situ in their historic home. Discussions with the Learned Societies are ongoing, and the department is taking relevant factors into consideration in line with Green Book, appraisal guidance.Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on Gov.uk.

Car Parks: Fees and Charges

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will hold discussions with local authorities on the potential merits of their continuing to accept cash payments from members of the public using local authority car parks; and if he will make a statement.

Dehenna Davison: All local authorities have existing statutory duties to ensure that they do not discriminate in their decision making against older people or those with vulnerabilities. The Secretary of State recently wrote to all local authorities in England setting out his expectations that parking services for which councils are responsible remain accessible.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has had discussions with organisations representing older people on the potential impact of card-payment-only public car parking services.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made a recent estimate of the number of public car parks that charge using (a) cash and (b) app-based payments.

Dehenna Davison: All local authorities have existing statutory duties to ensure that they do not discriminate in their decision making against older people or those with vulnerabilities. The Secretary of State recently wrote to all local authorities in England setting out his expectations that parking services for which councils are responsible remain accessible. For example, it would not seem appropriate for parking on a high street to be solely available for those who have access to a mobile phone. Nor would it appear sensible for local authorities to phase out paper-based parking options such as 'scratch cards' if the only available replacement is an entirely digital option.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what directions and guidance his Department has produced for local authorities on how to spend their share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on including relevant Members of Parliament on local panels responsible for making decisions about how to spend their share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what guidance his Department has provided local authorities on how to allocate their share of the UK Shared Prosperity fund between different areas.

Dehenna Davison: Under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), it is for places to decide how they use their allocation and this will depend on locally identified priorities. Each place was tasked to work with local partners choosing from a range of interventions to develop an investment plan. Pre-launch guidance was published in February 2022 followed by the UKSPF Prospectus in April 2022. Updated guidance is available on Gov.uk.Members of the UK Parliament play an important role in representing the views of their constituents, working collaboratively with local authorities and other local partners to work for the good of local places. They should be closely engaged in the design and delivery of the Fund. In most cases, all MPs in the area should have been invited to join the local partnership group.

Recreation Spaces: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect and (b) enhance green spaces in Enfield North constituency.

Dehenna Davison: Through the Levelling Up Parks Fund the Government has made available £9 million in equal grants for local authorities, to create or significantly refurbish green spaces. There is also a 'tree uplift' expectation, where a proportion of the fund must be used to plant any type of tree, of any size. Enfield Council have received £85,000 from this Fund.In addition to the Levelling Up Parks Fund, the UK Shared Prosperity Fund can be used to support green growth by asking places to consider how projects can work with the natural environment to achieve project objectives, and - at a minimum - consider the project's impact on our natural assets and nature. This includes the opportunity for the creation of and improvements to local green spaces, community gardens, watercourses and embankments, along with incorporating natural features into wider public spaces.

Parks: Women

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations in the report Safer Parks: Improving access for women and girls.

Dehenna Davison: The Government has invested £125 million through the Safer Streets and Safety of Women at Night Funds to make our streets safer for women and girls. This includes £50 million for 111 projects through Round 4, the current round of the Safer Streets Fund, which is supporting a range of interventions including enhanced street lighting and CCTV as well as more innovative ones such as bystander training programmes, taxi marshals and educational and awareness raising initiatives.

Levelling Up Fund

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the (a) application process will begin and (b) criteria will be announced for the Levelling-Up Fund Round 3.

Mike Amesbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's planned timescale is for the launch of the third round of Levelling Up Fund applications.

Dehenna Davison: As the Secretary of State announced during his speech at the LGA conference, the department is moving to a new approach for the third round of the Levelling Up Fund. Further details of our approach will be set out in due course.

Buildings: Fire Prevention

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to issue guidance for properties under 18 meters on the requirements for completing Cladding External Wall System forms.

Lee Rowley: The Fire Safety Act (2021) was clear that multi-occupancy residential buildings, regardless of height, must have an up-to-date fire risk assessment that includes the external walls Separately, the External Wall System Fire Review (EWS1) form is an industry-produced valuation tool to aid valuers and lenders to assess high rise properties. The EWS1 form is not a safety certificate, and it is not a legal or Government requirement. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have issued guidance on its use and application. This guidance makes clear when a valuer surveyor working for a mortgage lender should use the EWS1 process. A surveyor has to justify any request for an EWS1 form.

Hate Crime: Sikhs

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the level of hate crime committed against the Sikh community; and what steps her Department is taking to tackle such crime.

Lee Rowley: All forms of racial and religious discrimination are abhorrent and have no place in our communities. The Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat crime.The Home Office publishes statistics which can be found at: Hate crime, England and Wales, 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Buildings: Enfield North

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the number of properties in Enfield North constituency that require building safety works under the Building Safety Fund.

Lee Rowley: Building Safety Fund data by local authority area, including Enfield, is available here, which shows there were five registrations to the Building Safety Fund in Enfield.

Hate Crime: Muslims

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the report entitled A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate published by TellMAMA on 20 July 2023, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the finding that the number of cases of anti-Muslim hate crime doubled between 2012 and 2022.

Lee Rowley: All forms of racial and religious discrimination have no place in our communities. No one should ever be a victim of hatred because of their religion or belief and the Government continues to work with police and community partners to monitor and combat it.Tell MAMA are a key partner in this work and the findings of the 10-year report will continue to help inform Government policy and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred. We have supported them since 2012 with nearly £5 million of funding.

Local Government

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of updating the 2011 lists of statutory duties placed on local authorities by legislation for which (i) his Department and (ii) other Departments are responsible.

Lee Rowley: The Government currently has no plans to review the list of statutory duties placed on local authorities but would always welcome ideas and views from colleagues.

Housing: Insulation

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what funding he plans to allocate to the Medium Rise Pilot Scheme; and whether that funding will cover all outstanding works.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether Hester Road building in London has been accepted on to the Medium Rise Pilot Scheme.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to extend the Medium Rise Pilot Scheme to other eligible medium-rise buildings; and whether that date is dependent on the effectivness of the Pilot Scheme.

Lee Rowley: The Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS) opened in full on 24 July and is available to all eligible medium-rise buildings between 11 and 18 metres across England, and applications for high-rise buildings over 18 metres outside of London. The Scheme will provide funding for the management of unsafe cladding in England, where a responsible developer cannot be identified, traced, or held responsible.The CSS is one of a number of remediation schemes that is being funded by Government. Funding for the whole of the building safety programme will be met by a combination of the £5.1 billion already allocated by government, refunds from housing developers and revenue from the Building Safety Levy.Further details on eligibility, the application process and further guidance can be found here.

Housing: Solar Power

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing legislation to make solar panel installation on new build homes compulsory.

Lee Rowley: Renewable energy, such as that generated from rooftop solar panels, will make a significant contribution to achieving net zero. In June 2022 an uplift to the energy efficiency standards for new buildings came into force and we will consult this year on the Future Homes Standard. The standards are performance based, meaning we do not mandate any particular technologies, but we expect that in order to comply with the uplift most developers will choose to install solar panels on new homes.

Buildings: Safety

Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to help support people affected by safety defects in buildings that were built in the last 30 years and are under 11 metres in height.

Lee Rowley: The Government has implemented a risk-based and proportionate approach to regulating safety in residential buildings and in remediating cladding and other building safety defects. In general, the risk to life in lower-rise buildings is low and can be mitigated, for example, by installing fire alarms.   We are aware of a very small number of buildings under 11 metres where expensive remediation is proposed. We have written to freeholders and managing agents in affected buildings to make sure that any proposed works are necessary and proportionate and the rights to redress are being fully utilised.

Multiple Occupation: Council Tax

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what his Department's expected timescale is to publish its response to the Council tax valuation of Houses in Multiple Occupation consultation.

Lee Rowley: The Government has set out its intention that Houses in Multiple Occupation should generally be treated as one dwelling for the purposes of council tax and provided with a single council tax banding. We are considering responses to the consultation and will publish the Government's response shortly.

Local Government: Complaints

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Annual Review of Local Government complaints in England for 2022-2023, published on 26 July 2023, on trends in the number of upheld complaints for (a) special educational needs and disabilities provision for children and young people, (b) adult care services and (c) housing.

Lee Rowley: The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman's Annual Review of Local Government Complaints forms one part of the wider intelligence on the health of the local government sector, including on emerging trends, which the Ombudsman provides the Department. We are grateful for the Ombudsman's ongoing valuable work to improve public services.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Federalist Society

Janet Daby: To ask the Attorney General, with reference to the transparency data entitled AGO transparency data - January to March 2023, published on 21 July 2023, whether any matters related to the work of her Department were discussed during the hospitality she received from the Federalist Society on 9 February 2023.

Victoria Prentis: Neil M. Gorsuch spoke at a lunch hosted by the Federalist Society on his role as a Supreme Court Justice. The Attorney attended, she did not speak at the lunch or discuss her role in detail.

Attorney General: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Michael Tomlinson: The Cabinet Office published the data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from Members for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023. The data for Q1 and Q2 2023 will be published shortly. The 2022 data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not have a backlog of Member correspondence, and the AGO consistently ranks among the best in terms of response timeliness across all central government departments. Nonetheless, the AGO continually monitor and look for ways to improve our performance in relation to correspondence handling.

Attorney General: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Michael Tomlinson: The Cabinet Office published the data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from Members for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023. The data for Q1 and Q2 2023 will be published shortly. The 2022 data can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not have a backlog of Member correspondence, and the AGO consistently ranks among the best in terms of response timeliness across all central government departments. Nonetheless, the AGO continually monitor and look for ways to improve our performance in relation to correspondence handling.

Attorney General: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Michael Tomlinson: The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has an average response time of 27 calendar days.While the AGO has a strong record for responding to Subject Access Requests (SARs) well within the statutory deadline, the AGO continually monitor and look for ways to improve our performance in relation to handling SARs received by the department.

Attorney General: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by her Department in each of the last five years; and whether she plans to introduce measures to improve this

Michael Tomlinson: The nature of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) is such that the Department does not sponsor public inquiries, as the Department does not hold any policy interests or operational responsibilities. As the AGO has not sponsored a public inquiry in the last 5 years, the Department has not been required to respond to the findings of any public inquiries in the last 5 years.

Attorney General: Buildings

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Attorney General, whether reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been found within their Department's estate.

Michael Tomlinson: For now, the focus is on bringing together the information we hold about the Government estate into one place. This work is being coordinated by the Office for Government Property.Survey work is underway.

Attorney General: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Michael Tomlinson: Official national statistics on Freedom of Information (FOI) request performance for all central government departments and other monitored bodies can be found on www.gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statisticsThe statistics cover calendar rather than financial years. In 2022, 97% of FOI requests received by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) were responded to or extended appropriately within the 20 working day statutory deadline.The AGO consistently ranks among the best in terms of response timeliness to FOI requests across all central government departments. Nevertheless, the AGO continually monitor and look for ways to improve performance in relation to FOI request handling.

Attorney General: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Michael Tomlinson: Official national statistics on Freedom of Information (FOI) request performance for all central government departments and other monitored bodies can be found on www.gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statisticsThe statistics cover calendar rather than financial years. In 2022, 97% of FOI requests received by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) were responded to or extended appropriately within the 20 working day statutory deadline.The AGO consistently ranks among the best in terms of response timeliness to FOI requests across all central government departments. Nevertheless, the AGO continually monitor and look for ways to improve performance in relation to FOI request handling.

Fraud: Coronavirus

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Attorney General, how many fraud cases related to covid-19 are with the Crown Prosecution Service awaiting an outcome.

Michael Tomlinson: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not have a central record showing the number of fraud cases relating to Covid-19 currently awaiting an outcome. To obtain the data would require manually reviewing CPS case records at disproportionate cost.

Attorney General: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Michael Tomlinson: The Attorney General and I inform Members of Parliament ahead of time when we are visiting their constituencies.We are unable to confirm or disclose details of planned Ministerial visits too far in advance for security reasons.

Attorney General: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Michael Tomlinson: Departmental performance on written parliamentary questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year’s data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.Every effort must be made to reply to written parliamentary questions within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline.

Attorney General: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Michael Tomlinson: Every effort must be made to reply to written parliamentary questions within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline.The Attorney General’s Office ensures that strict internal deadlines are in place and training sessions on written parliamentary questions are carried out.

Attorney General: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General,  what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Michael Tomlinson: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy, we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber-attack by2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.The Crown Prosecution Service provide digital services to the Attorney General’s Office which includes responsibility for AGO cybersecurity and protecting personal data.The AGO does not have an external public facing internet site other than gov.uk and Cabinet Office manage digital development.

Attorney General: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Michael Tomlinson: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) provide digital services to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), which includes our internal intranet.The AGO does not have an external public facing internet site other than the page on gov.uk and Cabinet Office manage the digital development.

Attorney General: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Attorney General, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Michael Tomlinson: The Attorney General's Office (AGO) is a small ministerial department, staff are generally employed on loan from other Government Offices, therefore a high turnover is expected.The AGO provides opportunities to work in a fast paced, high profile, environment and appointments are considered developmental.

Home Office

Immigration Bail: Electronic Tagging

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were electronically tagged as a condition of immigration bail as of 1 September 2023; and what was the cost to the public purse of electronic tagging in immigration cases in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: Foreign nationals who commit crimes here in the UK will face the full force of the law, including deportation at the earliest opportunity for those eligible. In some cases, where deportation is delayed, individuals may be released on electronic monitoring as a condition of immigration bail, pending deportation. Since 14 June 2022, we have been piloting the use of EM with a small cohort of individuals who have arrived in the UK through illegal and dangerous routes.

Care4Calais: Finance

Julian Knight: To ask for Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides funding to Care4Calais, Charity Commission number 1169048.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has neither made payments to Care4Calais nor does it provide funding to Care4Calais.

Visas: Tourism

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many tourist visa applications were made to UK Visas and Immigration in (a) 2021 and (b) 2022.

Robert Jenrick: According to the Home Office published data on visit visa applications in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ and in the Entry clearance detailed dataset of the quarterly publication, for 2021 there were 613,741 visit visa applications and in 2022 there were 1,795,963 visit visa applications.

Migrants: Health Services and Visas

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's timescales are for introducing changes to the levels of (a) visa fees and (b) the Immigration Health Surcharge; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: Regulations will be laid in the Autumn that will amend the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 and Immigration (Health Charge) Order 2015 to set new visa fee levels and increase the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) respectively. The exact date that visa fee and IHS increases will come into effect is subject to parliamentary process.

Visits Abroad: Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to visit Ascension Island in the next 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: We do not usually comment on visits due to security concerns.

Migrants: Health Services and Visas

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing support to migrants who may be unable to afford planned increases to the cost of (a) visa fees and (b) the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Robert Jenrick: Where a person applying on a family and human rights immigration route is unable to afford the visa fee and the IHS and where this is backed by clear and compelling evidence provided by the individual, the fees may be waived if they are unaffordable.

Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 July 2023 to Question 191421 on Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership: Finance, whether any changes have been made to the level of funding that will be available for the Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership through the Government Department in Northern Ireland compared with the previous funding round.

Robert Jenrick: In full consultation with relevant partners in Northern Ireland, the Home Office has formally ended the funded relationship with Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership which was communicated to NI SMP and other relevant partners.The Home Office is in the process of finalising a new agreement with The Executive Office of Northern Ireland for which funding has been agreed. This partnership will provide an equivalent function to the previous Grant Agreement with Northern Ireland Strategic Migration Partnership, hosted by Northern Ireland Local Government Association.As that agreement remains commercially sensitive at this time my Department is unable to share funding information publicly. SMP funding is published publicly at the conclusion of the prior financial year.

Asylum: Knowsley

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Immigration of 20 February 2023 on the Knowsley Incident, Official Report, column 33, what criteria her Department is using to decide whether individual legal practitioners are monitored; how many legal practitioners are currently being monitored; what records are kept of the monitoring; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: People who make dangerous journeys by putting their lives at risk to reach the UK often seek immigration advice. When considering representations, the Home Office ensures that legal practitioners raising such immigration matters have the correct regulatory credentials. If evidence exists that obligations have been breached, we will refer legal practitioners to regulators or law enforcement where criminality is evident.It would not be appropriate to comment further as this is operationally sensitive.

Visas: Applications

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects UK Visas and Immigration to complete its reconsideration of the cases referred to by the Rt hon. Member for East Ham in the letter of 28 March, reference ST103787.

Robert Jenrick: An agreement to reconsider the application was provided by the Decision Making Centre (DMC) on 25th April 2023. The reconsideration of these applications took place on 20th July 2023. The applicants were contacted by the DMC on the 24th July 2023 about the resubmission of their passports to the Visa Application Centre and on 26th July 2023 the applicants submitted their passports for the completion of the visa process. The standard time scale for reconsiderations is three months and this reconsideration was completed within that three month timescale.

Visas

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to support applicants  with a non-serious criminal record for a visa to live in the UK permanently.

Robert Jenrick: This Government does not provide support to foreign nationals with criminal records in order to facilitate their entry, stay or settlement in the United Kingdom.

Asylum: Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what feasibility studies her Department has conducted on the viability of offshoring people seeking asylum to Ascension Island.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which UK Overseas Territories her Department is considering for the offshoring of people seeking asylum.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much from the public purse her Department has spent on feasibility studies for the offshoring of people seeking asylum to UK Overseas Territories in each of the last three years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which countries her Department is holding discussions with on the offshoring of people seeking asylum as of September 2023; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: While individuals are endangering lives making perilous journeys, every possible option must be considered to reduce the draw of the UK. We are always willing to work with partners around the world to tackle the joint challenge of illegal migration.

Immigration: Ethiopia

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support Ethiopian applicants for family reunion.

Robert Jenrick: We recognise that some people displaced may wish to join family in the UK, and where those family members do not have a current UK visa, they can apply for one via one of our standard visa routes, which remain available, and applications can be submitted at the nearest Visa Application Centre. Guidance on how to apply for a family visa can be found at: Family visas: apply, extend or switch: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In addition, close family members of individuals who are in the UK with permission to stay as a refugee may be eligible to apply under the family reunion arrangements. Details can be found at: Application for UK visa (family joining refugee): appendix 4 VAF4A - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Asylum: Boats

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total (a) value and (b) duration of contracts awarded by her Department for the management of asylum accommodation aboard floating vessels in (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023; and whether any contracts were awarded outside of any competitive bidding process.

Robert Jenrick: All contracts are published on the GOV.UK website, available at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Visas: Afghanistan

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192823 on Visas: Afghanistan, what her planned timescale is for concluding the review of processes to streamline decision-making for family reunion visa applications; and if she will make a statement.

Robert Jenrick: For Afghan refugees already in the UK, we have rules in place for their close family members to apply to join them in the UK. As previously said, we are committed to improving and speeding up processing times for family reunion applications. We are reviewing processes to streamline decision making.

Asylum: Employment and Qualifications

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the skills and qualifications of asylum seekers; and how many asylum seekers have been permitted to take up employment pending a decision on their asylum application in 2022 and 2023.

Robert Jenrick: Those who have claimed asylum in the UK and have had their asylum claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, are allowed to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, which is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee. There are also various legal routes for those seeking to work in the UK under the Points-Based System. These routes include Skilled Worker, Global Talent, and Health and Care routes, which are supporting UK businesses to recruit workers with the skills and talent they need from around the world. The Home Office does not record data on the number of asylum seekers who have been permitted to work in a reportable format.

Migrants: Health Services and Visas

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) people already living in the UK, (b) women, (c) people with children who are British citizens and (d) people from ethnic minority backgrounds who are likely to be affected by her Department's planned increases in (i) visa fees and (ii) the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Stuart C McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has undertaken an equalities impact assessment on the potential effects of the planned increases in (a) visa fees and (b) the Immigration Health Surcharge on those who will be expected to pay them.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has undertaken equalities impact assessments for the visa fee and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) increases. Application fees will increase across a range of immigration and nationality routes, including for people coming to live, work and study, and for applications to remain in the UK. The routes which are impacted, and the levels of increase will be set out within the regulations to be laid in Autumn and are subject to usual parliamentary process.

Deportation: Offenders

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department,  what steps she is taking to ensure that foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes are deported.

Robert Jenrick: We are absolutely committed to protecting the public by removing foreign criminals and are determined to do all we can to ensure that they cannot frustrate the removal process.Last year, under the Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) 2022, we expanded the early removal scheme (ERS) for FNOs to allow them to be removed directly from prison from a maximum of 9 months to 12 months before the end of their custodial sentence.Our new Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Albania came into force in May 2022, and we are working closely with other countries to speed up the removal of foreign national offenders, freeing up space in our prisons and reducing costs to the British taxpayer.

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Electronic Travel Authorisation: Impact Assessment, updated on 16 June 2023, whether her Department has conducted any Northern Ireland-specific analysis.

Robert Jenrick: The Impact Assessment considers the impact to the UK as a whole, It does not differentiate between countries or regions.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan people who were previously housed in hotel accommodation in the UK prior to 31 August 2023 have presented themselves as homeless to local authorities as of 1 September 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The UK made an ambitious and generous commitment to help resettle Afghans fleeing persecution and those who served the UK. Since June 2021, we have brought 24,500 people to safety to the UK. We will provide an update on the hotel departures, including latest figures this week.

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Impact Assessments

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Electronic Travel Authorisation: Impact Assessment, updated on 16 June 2023, whether she has made an assessment she has made of the potential impact of Electronic Travel Authorisation on (a) the tourism industry and (b) SMEs in Northern Ireland.

Robert Jenrick: The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA): Impact Assessment provides an illustrative impact based on a range of potential scenarios, including the potential impact on visitors and costs to business. It considers the impact to the UK as a whole; it does not differentiate between countries or regions. The content of the Impact Assessment should not be considered a guaranteed result of introducing the ETA scheme.

Asylum

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish publish the National Centre for Social Research’s independent assessment of the second alternative to detention community engagement pilot delivered by the King’s Arms Project entitled the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service.

Robert Jenrick: The National Centre for Social Research’s independent assessment of the second alternative to detention community engagement pilot delivered by the King’s Arms Project was published by the UNHCR on 23rd August 2023.

Visas: Tourism

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was for processing (a) an average tourist visa application and (b) all tourist visa applications in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The estimated cost of processing visit visa applications for the years 2021 – 2022, is published on gov.uk as part of the Home Office’s transparency publications Visa fees transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Home Office: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Chris Philp: The Home Office takes its obligations under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act seriously. The department receives one of the highest volumes of FOI requests across central government. In 2022 we responded to 92% of FOI requests within the permitted time and to 93% in the first quarter of 2023.Official National Statistics on FOI performance for all central government departments and other monitored bodies can be found on www.gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its FOI performance.

Spiking

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish her Department's statutory report on spiking.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Government is committed to producing and publishing a report on the prevalence and nature of spiking and the action that we are and will take to tackle it.The report is yet to be laid before Parliament, but we aim to do so as soon as practical, later this Autumn.

Hate Crime: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) reports of, (b) arrests for and convictions for hate crimes there have been in Greater Manchester since 2017.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales. Data on the number of offences recorded by Greater Manchester Police can be found in the Open Data Tables for Hate Crime, available here: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)Information on arrests is only collected at the broader offence level, for example, violence against the person offences, and therefore the level of detail requested is not centrally available.The Ministry of Justice has responsibility for data on convictions.

Licensed Premises: Opening Hours

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will introduce legislation to enable Ministers to make one-off changes to (a) pubs and (b) other licensed premises' opening hours for special events.

Chris Philp: The Licensing Act 2003 already allows the Home Secretary to make legislation for blanket relaxations of licensing hours for “an occasion of exceptional international, national, or local significance”.The Government continues to keep the Licensing Act 2003 under review and works closely with licensing practitioners to ensure the regime remains fit for purpose and meets emerging challenges.

College of Policing

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department has provided (a) guidance and (b) directions to the College of Policing when setting out its strategic ambitions.

Chris Philp: The Department liaises closely with the College of Policing, assisting them in the setting of the College’s Business and Strategic plans.Alongside the College of Policing, all Home Office Arm’s Length Bodies contribute to the delivery of the Department’s Outcome Delivery Plan, with the College of Policing contributing to the outcome Reduce Crime.The Home Secretary, Policing Minister and Officials regularly meet the CEO of the College.

Home Office: Young People

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken recent steps to work with (a) the Duke of Edinburgh Award, (b) other youth award schemes and (c) volunteer programmes to help promote community safety.

Chris Philp: The government recognises the vital role that youth services and activities like the Duke of Edinburgh Award play in enhancing young people’s wellbeing, as well as significant benefits to social cohesion and community safety.The Home Office is committed to working extensively with charities, voluntary organisations and other partners across the sector in our work to reduce crime and keep people safe. The includes, for example, through the Youth Endowment Fund, which funds programmes in England and Wales that aim to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence. In addition, Violence Reduction Units are required to operate ‘with and for the community’ and must have someone to represent community, young people’s and the voluntary sector’s interests as part of their governance arrangements.

Direct Selling

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to encourage the adoption of no cold caller zones.

Chris Philp: This is not a matter for the Home Office but is for Local Authorities.

Home Office: Standards

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the report by Mr Nick Timothy of his review of the effectiveness of her Department.

Chris Philp: There are no plans to publish an internal report of this nature.

Knives: Advertising

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to take steps to prevent the appearance of pop-up knife advertisements on social media.

Chris Philp: Under measures in the Knives Act 1997 it is an offence to market a knife in a way which indicates, or suggests, that it is suitable for combat, or is otherwise likely to encourage violent behaviour involving the use of the knife as a weapon. A person found guilty of this offence on indictment can face up to 2 years imprisonment or a fine or both.We are also introducing the Online Safety Bill which is currently in its final stages in Parliament. The legislation will achieve Royal Assent this Autumn and Ofcom’s powers will commence shortly after.For the first time in the UK, tech companies are going to be accountable to an independent regulator to keep their users, particularly children, safe. They will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.Schedule 7 of the Bill sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons online, including sales from online marketplaces. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity including removing any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.In addition, as part of DCMS' Online Advertising Programme, the government will introduce a new and targeted regulatory framework for paid-for online advertising, which will focus on tackling illegal advertising and increasing the protection of children and young people from adverts for products and services that are illegal to sell.DCMS will be issuing a consultation on the details of the proposed regulation in due course and have convened a ministerially-led industry taskforce to drive forward non-legislative action meanwhile.

Knives: Crime

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to tackle illegal online advertisement of knives intended to encourage (a) combat and (b) violent behaviour.

Chris Philp: Under measures in the Knives Act 1997 it is an offence to market a knife in a way which indicates, or suggests, that it is suitable for combat, or is otherwise likely to encourage violent behaviour involving the use of the knife as a weapon. A person found guilty of this offence on indictment can face up to 2 years imprisonment or a fine or both.We are also introducing the Online Safety Bill which is currently in its final stages in Parliament. The legislation will achieve Royal Assent this Autumn and Ofcom’s powers will commence shortly after.For the first time in the UK, tech companies are going to be accountable to an independent regulator to keep their users, particularly children, safe. They will need to remove and limit the spread of illegal content. This means less illegal content online and when it does appear it will be removed quicker.Schedule 7 of the Bill sets out a series of priority offences which includes the sale of weapons online, including sales from online marketplaces. Companies will need to take particularly robust action to prevent the proliferation of this content online and ensure that their services are not used for offending. This means companies will need to proactively mitigate the risk that their services are used for illegal activity including removing any content that does appear as soon as they are made aware of it.In addition, as part of DCMS' Online Advertising Programme, the government will introduce a new and targeted regulatory framework for paid-for online advertising, which will focus on tackling illegal advertising and increasing the protection of children and young people from adverts for products and services that are illegal to sell.DCMS will be issuing a consultation on the details of the proposed regulation in due course and have convened a ministerially-led industry taskforce to drive forward non-legislative action meanwhile.

University of Cambridge and University of Oxford: Overseas Students

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many student visas were issued to students at (a) Oxford and (b) Cambridge University in 2022.

Robert Jenrick: We do not routinely publish the number of student visas for individual sponsors. For details of our published data on student visas, this can be found in the available Migration Statistics on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-system-statistics-year-ending-june-2023/why-do-people-come-to-the-uk-to-study

Migrant Workers: Manufacturing Industries

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many skilled worker visa applications for roles in the manufacturing industry were made in each year between 2010 and 2023.

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many skilled worker visa applications for roles in the manufacturing industry were granted in each year between 2010 and 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on entry-clearance visas by industry in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visa applications are published in table ‘Occ_D01’ of the sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry dataset. The Home Office publishes data on entry-clearance visas by industry in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visas issued are published in table ‘Occ_D02’ of the sponsored work entry clearance visas by occupation and industry dataset. Selecting ‘manufacturing’ from the industry filter will output data on visa issued for roles in the manufacturing industry. Nationality, visa routes, and time frames can also be filtered. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates up to the end of June 2023. Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.

Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Report on an unannounced inspection of Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre published by HMIP on 7 August 2023, how many detainees are currently held at Tinsley House; and when she plans to increase the number of staff at Tinsley House to the level at which the centre can operate at full capacity.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on people in immigration detention in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseThe number of people in detention on the last day of each quarter are published in table Det_D02 of the Detention detailed datasets at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#detentionThe data can be broken down by nationality of detained person, and place of detention.The latest data relate to the number of people in detention at the end of June 2023.Tinsley House immigration removal centre (IRC) is operating at full capacity.

Proscribed Organisations: Prosecutions

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have been charged with membership of a proscribed organisation in the last 12 months.

Tom Tugendhat: Investigations into the activities of proscribed organisations or individuals who may be members of proscribed organisations are an operational matter for the police and intelligence agencies.The Government publishes quarterly national statistics on the use of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent relevant legislation in Great Britain. This includes information on arrests, charges and convictions for proscription offences. The most recent publication up to year ending March 2023, was published on 08 June on GOV.UK: Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes, and stop and search, Great Britain, quarterly update to March 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Bank Services: Fraud

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help enable (a) ActionFraud and (b) other bodies to investigate fraudulent activity involving foreign bank accounts.

Tom Tugendhat: We are providing over £30 million to the City of London Police to upgrade Action Fraud by 2024 using the latest technology to provide far greater intelligence to policing, allowing greater prevention and disruption at scale, including internationally.We have launched a National Fraud Squad with 400 new posts across the National Crime Agency, City of London Police and specialist regional police units with links into the UK intelligence community. The NFS will tackle the most harmful fraudsters, including those linked to international criminal networks.UK authorities continue to work with their international counterparts on a case-by-case basis to target criminals responsible for defrauding members of the public and businesses.The Fraud Strategy sets out our ambition to drive global action on tackling fraud. We will build stronger partnerships with allies to improve our understanding of the threat, share best practice, build expertise and lead a coordinated global response.

Fraud: Convictions

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of reports of fraud resulted in a conviction in the latest period for which data is available.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office collects data on the number of fraud and computer misuse cases reported to Action Fraud that have been recorded as crimes by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB).Such data is published by the Office for National Statistics on a quarterly basis and the most recently available statistics for the year ending March 2023 can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtablesStatistics on the investigative outcomes of those offences referred to the territorial police forces for investigation are published each year by the Home Office. The most recent publication was Crime outcomes in England and Wales 2022 to 2023 and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-2022-to-2023As fraud can be a difficult crime to investigate and charge, not all of the fraud incidents will receive an outcome in the same financial year as they were reported.The Home Office does not hold information on cases that result in prosecution but the Ministry of Justice publish statistics on court outcomes by crime type including fraud. The latest statistics can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2023

Agriculture: Ammonium Nitrate

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has made 16 per cent the concentration level above which it is compulsory for farmers to provide photographic ID when buying ammonium nitrate.

Tom Tugendhat: On 23rd January 2023, the Home Office laid the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 to further tighten the controls in place for explosives precursors and poisons to prevent the illicit use of these substances. A full consultation – including with sectors affected by the proposed regulations – was undertaken before the regulations were laid. A summary of the consultation responses was published in Annex A of the impact assessment which was laid alongside the regulations: The Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)From 1st October, ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content will be a regulated explosives precursor under the Poisons Act 1972. Ammonium nitrate has a history of being used in improvised explosive devices in the UK and overseas.The decision to regulate ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content represents a balance between ensuring that members of the general public are able to use ammonium nitrate-based products for legitimate purposes, while restricting access to higher-strength ammonium nitrate which has the potential to be misused. There is evidence of individuals trying to obtain substances in the Poisons Act by passing themselves off as businesses and bypassing the regulations.Businesses and professional users, including farmers, will not require a licence to be able to buy or use ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content. However, the 2023 regulations require suppliers to take additional steps to verify the legitimacy of the professional user or business they are selling a regulated substance to.Further guidance on selling regulated and reportable substances can be found here: Supplying explosives precursors and poisons - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Agriculture: Ammonium Nitrate

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department has made it compulsory for farmers to provide photographic ID when buying ammonium nitrate.

Tom Tugendhat: On 23rd January 2023, the Home Office laid the Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 to further tighten the controls in place for explosives precursors and poisons to prevent the illicit use of these substances. A full consultation – including with sectors affected by the proposed regulations – was undertaken before the regulations were laid. A summary of the consultation responses was published in Annex A of the impact assessment which was laid alongside the regulations: The Control of Explosives Precursors and Poisons Regulations 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)From 1st October, ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content will be a regulated explosives precursor under the Poisons Act 1972. Ammonium nitrate has a history of being used in improvised explosive devices in the UK and overseas.Businesses and professional users, including farmers, will not require a licence to be able to buy or use ammonium nitrate above 16% nitrogen content. However, the 2023 regulations require suppliers to take additional steps to verify the legitimacy of the professional user or business they are selling a regulated substance to. This is in order to prevent sales of potentially dangerous precursors to those seeking to use them for illicit purposes and to provide a further opportunity for businesses to identify any potentially suspicious transactions. There is evidence of individuals trying to obtain substances in the Poisons Act by passing themselves off as businesses and bypassing the regulations.Before selling a regulated substance to a business customer, the person making the sale must obtain certain information about the business customer they are selling to. This includes requesting a form of photographic ID. Further guidance on this requirement can be found here: Supplying explosives precursors and poisons - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)These requirements apply to all businesses selling any regulated substance to another business.

National Crime Agency

Dame Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the NCA is conducting a review of its frameworks and guidelines on settlements with foreign governments.

Tom Tugendhat: The National Crime Agency (NCA) regularly reviews its engagement with international operational law enforcement partners. As the NCA Annual Plan published in August 2023 sets out:“Effective working overseas will require strong international partnerships which the Agency will focus on strengthening in 2023-24.This will include: prioritising key countries and regions to better understand and act where the Agency will have the biggest impact in protecting the UK; strengthening existing international relationships through the Agency’s extensive International Liaison Officer network and multilateral relationships; embedding the Joint International Crime Centre, which will take a multi-agency approach to providing territorial policing access to international partners, intelligence; and the NCA’s specialist international capabilities.”

Home Office: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Tom Tugendhat: The Home Office Cyber Security Strategy is in place until 2025, the details of the strategy would not be shared on the public domain for reasons of national security.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress her Department has made on legacy licences for animal testing.

Tom Tugendhat: The Government is engaging with the relevant companies to review and determine a way forward on the remaining active licences.

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Office, with reference to the statistics by the Home Office entitled Statistics of scientific procedures on living animals, Great Britain: 2022, published on 13 July 2023, what assessment she has made of the reasons for which the number of severe experiments on dogs rose from zero to 20 between 2021 and 2022.

Tom Tugendhat: The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain do not include data on the reasons for changes in the number of procedures carried out year to year.The government is committed to the replacement, reduction, and refinement of the use of animals in science.

Home Office: Security

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason her Department makes provision for its officials to request a dual gender security pass to access the Home Office estate.

Chris Philp: In line with the practice of successive administrations this government does not comment on internal security arrangements.

Home Office: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Chris Philp: Civil service turnover in The Home Office was 6.3% in 2022/23, including all agencies and reporting bodies.The Home Office works hard to provide a positive employee offer to recruit and retain staff. This includes areas such as pay, reward, pensions and annual leave but also support to employees such as our employee assistance programmes, training and development and our staff networks.

Home Office: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by her Department in each of the last five years; and whether she plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Chris Philp: No average time is measured although we have a target to respond to all public correspondence on policy matters within 20 working days. Performance against that target over the last five years is:2018/1982%2019/2087%2020/2174%2021/2272%2022/2385% The most recent full month performance (July 2023) was 93%.There is no data available on response times on operational queries.

Home Office: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Chris Philp: The Home Office Digital, Data and Technology strategy refers to accessibility several times and we have published our Accessibility Standard and guidance.Our Accessibility Assurance team has 4 consultants. They drive greater accessibility of the products developed/procured/used by Home Office, to reduce the risks that disabled people cannot use our services. ​They improve the capability, confidence and culture of teams to meet our Accessibility Standard and legal requirements.​ Together we develop and embed the standard into processes and professions, then assess the efficacy of controls to meet it​.For example our intranet team recently influenced Microsoft to fix a number of accessibility issues in SharePoint which will benefit our own users and others around the world.We provide a monthly Introduction to Accessibility course that is open to all staff and mandatory for those working in user centred design. After a year of training our Quality Assurance and Test colleagues, embedded in delivery teams, have taken on primary responsibility for testing against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.We are organisational members of the International Association for Accessibility Professionals and the Business Disablity Forum as well as managing the cross-government accessibility community. We use these to stay abreast of the latest thinking and good practices.We are also working strategically across government on procurement policy, to get the commercial sector to supply accessible products for staff and public users.User-centred design (UCD) and accessibility are integral to our approach to improve usability of the Home Office's digital services. We are committed to making our services and products more usable in our Home Office Digital, Data and Technology strategy and departmental outcome delivery plan.The Home Office has a thriving community of over 300 practitioners in UCD, which comprises User Research, Interaction Design, Service Design and Content Design roles. Our UCD practitioners are deployed across projects in migration and borders, public protection and internal services. There is a professional support and management structure in place to oversee and develop our practice and provide assurance, tools and training to ensure our work is of high quality.Our community of practitioners follow the best practice from the Government Service Standard, which places the emphasis on understanding user's needs. We also have a usability testing facility in Croydon and we are a Market Research Society Company Partner.Our current focus in UCD is growing our community through permanent recruitment and our digital development programme.

Home Office: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Chris Philp: The Home Office takes its obligations under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act seriously and has dedicated teams responsible for the handling of requests.The department receives one of the highest volumes of FOI requests across central government. In 2022 we responded to 92% of FOI requests within the permitted time and to 93% in the first quarter of 2023.Home Office FOI performance statistics are published and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics#2023

Home Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Chris Philp: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions.There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet. This can be found herehttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdfDepartmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performancehere: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.Every effort must be made to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question requiresubstantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantivereply to a case within the departmental deadline.

Home Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Chris Philp: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions.There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet. This can be found herehttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdfDepartmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performancehere: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.Every effort must be made to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question requiresubstantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantivereply to a case within the departmental deadline.

Refugees: Ukraine

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Ukrainian refugees are awaiting biometric residence permits; for what reasons there have been delays in processing those permits; and what the average wait time was to receiving a permit in the latest period for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: The information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Educational Visits: France

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on removing barriers to (a) school and (b) other group travel between the UK and France.

Robert Jenrick: All visitors to the United Kingdom are expected to hold a valid passport and visa where necessary. France has its own rules on entry requirements.As part of an overall agreement on migration reached with France during the March Leaders’ Summit between the Prime Minister and the French President, we committed to easing travel between our two countries for school children on organised trips. Work is now under way to operationalise these arrangements.

Naturalisation: Applications

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2023 to Question 186725 on Naturalisation: Applications, how many and what proportion of total naturalisation applications consisted of non-straightforward applications in the last 12 months.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office publishes data on the processing of applications for British citizenship on the Gov.uk website. This includes the total number of applications received and the number of those that were non-straightforward. The link to the latest Migration Transparency Data can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/visas-and-citizenship-data-q2-2023

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has for boats that are seized by the Border Force for trying to transport migrants over the English Channel.

Robert Jenrick: All small boats used for illegal crossings vessels are seized by Border Force, assessed for evidential value, and are held by Border Force until completion of any criminal investigation activities.The boats are disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors and, where appropriate, any suitable materials are recycled. Although the Home Office does research the origins of migrant vessels it would be inappropriate to go into the findings of those enquiries.

Migrant Workers

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has a strategy for migrant worker welfare.

Robert Jenrick: Migrant workers have the same employment rights and protections as resident workers, as supported by the relevant departments, agencies, regulatory bodies and trades unions. In addition, the Home Office ensures the design of immigration routes has regard to migrant welfare including by: requiring sponsors of migrant workers to keep records of pay and compliance with sponsorship obligations, alongside requiring people to have a specific job and be paid an appropriate salary; enabling migrants to apply for jobs with other sponsors, to ensure they are not trapped; and, applying an English language requirement to help workers to integrate, which provides assurance that they will not be overly-reliant on their sponsors, are able to seek help if needed and understand their rights.

Immigration

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of family reunion applications had not been processed within 60 days in each month of the last three years.

Robert Jenrick: The Government’s refugee family reunion policy provides a safe and legal route to bring families together.We prioritise all applications where the application has been made by an unaccompanied child under the age of 18. We will also prioritise applications where there is an evidenced urgent or compelling reason.The most recent data can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The next data is due to be published in or around September 2023.

Home Office: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has a service standard to respond to 95% of Members’ correspondence within 20 days, and it is currently meeting that target. The most recent customer service operations data are published at www.gov.uk/government/publications/customer-service-operations-data-q2-2023, and show that the Home Office responded to 98% of correspondence within the service standard in the quarter from April to June 2023.

Asylum: Hotels

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which constituencies the provision of temporary accommodation in hotels for asylum seekers is being reduced; and in which constituencies capacity in already used hotels is being increased.

Robert Jenrick: The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets), under the document Asylum seekers in receipt of support (second edition). Data sets are published on a quarterly basis, the latest quarterly figures were released on 24 August 2023.

Fire and Rescue Services

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many fire incidents did fire and rescue services attend in each of the last five years in England.

Chris Philp: The Home Office operates the online Incident Recording System (IRS) to collect data on incidents attended by Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) in England. Subsequently, statistics on these are published quarterly here: Fire statistics - Quarterly Publication.The table below provides the number of fire incidents attended by FRSs in England in each of the last 5 years.Year ending MarchFire incidents attended2019182,9412020154,1862021151,0972022152,6392023178,737The data in this table are consistent with records that reached the IRS by 23 May 2023. The data was published on 27th July in table FIRE0102 (Fire statistics data tables - Incidents Attended).For a variety of reasons, some records take longer than others for FRSs to upload to the IRS and, therefore, totals are subject to small revisions.

National Rural Crime Unit

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the objectives of the National Rural Crime Unit are.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the level of theft of GPS technology from farm machinery in England in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the prevalence of the use of drones in agricultural-based thefts.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes information on crime against business, including the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, as part of the Commercial Victimisation Survey. Such crimes will also form part of the published police recorded crime statistics. However, neither of these data sources provides detail on the specific items stolen from vehicles or the methods used in committing theft.The Home Office has not made an assessment on the prevalence of the use of drones. However, we work closely with the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) National Rural Crime unit and Opal, the national analysis unit for serious organised acquisitive crime, to understand the methods used by criminals to steal agricultural machinery.The NPCC has established a new National Rural Crime Unit (NCRU) to support forces nationally in their responses to rural crime, such as the theft of farming or construction machinery, livestock theft, rural fly tipping, rural fuel theft and equine crime.In June 2023 the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs launched the Unleashing Rural Opportunity, setting out four broad priorities that are key to rural communities being able to thrive. As part of this launch, it was announced that the Government will provide one-off funding for the NRCU. This funding will support work to cut crime and keep communities safe, by tackling anti-social behaviour and equipment theft.DEFRA is also providing funding to the NRCU for a new role to tackle fly-tipping across Great Britain.

Police: Compensation

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much compensation has been paid out by Police Services in England to settle legal claims made against serving officers in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: Information on spend incurred by police forces to settle legal claims is not held centrally by the Home Office but may be held by individual forces.

Public Sector: Crimes of Violence

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192042 on Public Sector: Crimes of Violence, if she will take steps to ensure that information on the number of assaults of other public service workers is separately identifiable in the Police recorded crime and outcomes statistics.

Chris Philp: Currently only assaults on Police and Emergency Workers are captured as a separate classification within the Home Office’s police recorded crime and outcomes statistics.There is an ongoing review of the rules governing how crime is recorded by the police in England and Wales and this will consider the case for introducing additional classifications to better understand the impact of crime across other areas such as retail workers and public sector workers.

Just Stop Oil: Demonstrations

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the cost of the Just Stop Oil protests on police forces.

Chris Philp: In 2022, the police response to the highly disruptive tactics deployed by Just Stop Oil cost the taxpayer over £14.5 million. This, alongside the disruption caused the daily lives of hard-working people trying to go about their business, is unacceptable.The most recent campaign of slow walk protests has alone cost the Metropolitan Police Service over £7.7 million. The police response also required the use of around 23,500 officer shifts, diverting attention away from local communities.This Government is committed to tackling these guerrilla tactics which use up precious resource and disrupt the lives of others. That is why we introduced the Public Order Act 2023, which improves the police’s ability to manage highly disruptive protests and take a proactive approach to prevent such disruption happening in the first place. For example, the lock-on offence and the associated stop and search power will allow the police to pro-actively prevent the selfish minority of protesters causing serious disruption on our roads and save time and money.We have also amended the Public Order Act 1986 via statutory instrument to align the definition of “serious disruption” with the Public Order Act 2023. These changes give the police greater flexibility and clarity over when to intervene to stop disruptive tactics such as blocking roads and slow walks.

Drugs: Music Festivals

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has held recent discussions with the Night Time Industries Association on drug testing at festivals.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to require festival organisers to apply for drug testing licences.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to consult with (a) the Night Time Industries Association, (b) festival organisers, (c) the police and (d) local authorities on potential licensing changes for on-site drug testing at festivals.

Chris Philp: Ministers and officials routinely meet with various stakeholders to discuss issues relating to drug policy, and recent discussions were held with Night Time Industries Association representatives in relation to drug testing at festivals.It is a long-established legal requirement, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, that a controlled drugs licence is needed to lawfully undertake activities including the possession, supply or production of controlled drugs.We have been clear that organisations providing drug testing services, including at festivals, need to apply for a Home Office licence where they are undertaking activities with controlled drugs.We have no plans to make changes to the requirement for a licence for drug testing at festivals including where drug testing is delivered on-site.

Bicycles: Theft

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle changes in the level of bicycle thefts.

Chris Philp: The Crime Survey for England and Wales for year ending March 2023 shows that the level of bicycle theft offences has reduced by 51% since March 2010.The Home Office works closely with the British Transport Police (BTP), the national lead for cycle theft, to tackle the theft of bicycles. BTP have launched the ‘double lock it’ campaign with police forces and organisations, providing advice to owners to help better protect their bicycles. Further information on the campaign and bicycle locks can be found here: https://www.btp.police.uk/police-forces/british-transport-police/areas/campaigns/double-lock-it/.The Department for Transport’s (DfT) Cycling and Walking Plan for England, Gear Change, aims to boost cycling and walking and sets out a number of initiatives to combat cycle theft, including encouraging retailers to number the bicycles they sell and offer customers the opportunity to register their bicycle on a database at the point of sale. The Plan is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cycling-and-walking-plan-for-england.The BTP-led National Cycle Crime Group, working with DfT, have set up Cycle Crime Reduction Partnerships across the country to coordinate regional enforcement activity to disrupt organised cycle theft.The Home Office collects and publishes official statistics on the number of bicycle theft offences reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales and their investigative outcomes, including charges, on a quarterly basis.These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-recorded-crime-open-data-tables

Burglary: Crime Prevention

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce burglary rates.

Chris Philp: The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales, covering the year to March 2023, shows that domestic burglary has fallen by 55% since the year ending March 2010. We welcome this reduction, but we recognise the significant impact invasive crimes like burglary can have on individuals and the wider community, and we are keen that the number of these crimes is driven even lower.As we made clear in the Beating Crime Plan, published in July 2021, our approach to tackling burglary focuses on evidenced-based and targeted interventions, such as the Safer Streets Fund. The Safer Streets Fund supports investment in street lighting, home security and other measures, to help prevent crimes such as domestic burglary occurring in the first place. Round 5 of the Fund was launched on 6 July.This is underpinned by making sure police get the basics right, which is why we welcome the announcement made by the National Police Chiefs’ Council on 8 June that all 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales have been attending all home burglaries since March this year. We are working with police leaders to ensure forces are making their attendance data available to the public.Furthermore, as part of this back-to-basics approach, police forces across England and Wales have committed to pursue all ‘reasonable lines of enquiry’ where there is a reasonable chance it could lead them to catching a perpetrator and solving a crime. This commitment, announced on 28 August, has been worked up and agreed by the Home Office, in tandem with the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing.And to ensure the police have the resources they need to implement this and tackle crimes like burglary, we have delivered on our commitment to recruit 20,000 additional officers by March 2023.

Drugs: Organised Crime

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent county lines gangs operating in (a) Southport and (b) other coastal communities.

Chris Philp: This Government is determined to crack down on county lines gangs which is why, through the 10-year Drug Strategy, we are bolstering our flagship County Lines Programme, investing up to £145m over three years to tackle the most violent and exploitative distribution model yet seen.Through the Programme, we support a concentrated law enforcement response in the largest exporter areas. This includes funding Merseyside Police’s Project Medusa to tackle county lines originating in Merseyside.County lines is a national issue which affects all forces which is why we also fund the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre (NCLCC) to monitor the intelligence picture and co-ordinate the national law enforcement response. The County Lines Programme forces (MPS, West Midlands, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and British Transport Police) also regularly conduct joint operations with importing forces, including those in coastal areas. In addition, we have established a dedicated fund to help other local police forces tackle the scourge of county lines.Since the County Lines Programme was launched in 2019, police activity has resulted in over 4,300 line closures, over 14,200 arrests and over 6,300 safeguarding referrals. This includes over 1,300 line closures by the Programme taskforces since April 2022, against the Drugs Strategy commitment of over 2,000 by April 2025.

Demonstrations

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle slow-moving protests.

Chris Philp: It is unacceptable that protests should disrupt the hard-working people going about their daily business.The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 is already in force. This raised the maximum penalty for wilful obstruction of the highway to 6 months’ imprisonment, a level 3 fine on the standard scale, or both.The Public Order Act 2023, which received Royal Assent on 2 May, has also introduced new measures to improve the police’s ability to respond to highly disruptive protests. This includes the offence of interference with the use or operation of key national infrastructure, which, carries a maximum penalty of 12 months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both on indictment or a maximum penalty of and, six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both, respectively on summary.In addition, Parliament has approved a Statutory Instrument providing greater clarity to law enforcement on when conditions can be imposed on public processions causing serious disruption to the life of the community.We will continue to work closely with the police going forwards to make sure they are able to make full use of these powers.

Police: Resignations

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of police officers that have left the service in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects and publishes data annually on the number of police officers leaving the police service in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales.Information on the number of police officer leavers in each of the 43 territorial police forces in England and Wales, between the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2023 can be found in the Leavers Open Data Table here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172932/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods

Fire and Rescue Services

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department have taken to promote awareness of the survey of (a) Fire Risk Assessors and (b) Responsible Persons to potential participants.

Chris Philp: On 3 July 2023, the Home Office launched two surveys, one for Fire Risk Assessors (FRAs) and one for Responsible Persons (RPs) surveys were launched by Home Office on 3 July 2023. The aim of the FRA survey is to increase our understanding of the FRA sector and inform our work to improve FRA capacity and capability, while the aim of the RP survey was to increase our understanding of RP behaviour when appointing FRAs and to aid our understanding of their awareness of, and experiences in relation to, recent changes in fire safety legislation.To help promote the surveys and ensure we reach as many FRAs and RPs as possible we have taken the following steps:We sent both surveys directly to all relevant stakeholders who have expressed an interest in being contacted in this way;Major industry bodies such as the Fire Sector Federation (FSF), the Fire Industry Association and the Fire Protection Association (FPA) were asked to promote the surveys through their contacts and media channels;The FSF also shared the surveys on our behalf via LinkedIn;We asked attendees at our sector engagement forums, which include representatives from both the FRA and RP sectors, to promote the surveys via their contacts;We attended trade events such as Firex and the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) Trade and Technical Event to directly promote the surveys;We included articles promoting the surveys in our Fire Safety Reform Bulletin;A number of fire safety training providers shared the surveys with current and former course attendees;Four fire safety magazines including Fire Safety Matters, International Fire and Safety Journal, FIRE Magazine and International Fire Professional Magazine, were asked to publish promotional articles;FRA certification and registration bodies shared the surveys with their members and sought their support in promoting them;We sent the survey to users of the Home Office’s Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool (FRAPT), and;Other government Departments (or regulators) were asked to share the surveys with their own relevant contacts.

Road Traffic Offences: Speed Limits

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vehicles were caught speeding in (a) Warwickshire, (b) Leicestershire, (c) Derbyshire, (d) County Durham and (e) Hampshire in 2022.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects data on Fixed Penalty Notices and other outcomes for motoring offences, including data on speed limit offences, for each police force in England and Wales.These data are published annually as part of the “Police Powers and Procedures: Other PACE powers” statistical bulletin. The most recent data, up to 2021, are available here:Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and WalesData for the calendar year ending December 2022 will be published in November/December of 2023, and is pre-announced here:Police powers and procedures: Other PACE powers, England and Wales- National statistics announcement - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Fire Stations and Police Stations: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May to Question 183040, whether it remains the position that she has not engaged in discussion with (a) the police or (b) fire and rescue services about identifying buildings within their respective estates which have been constructed using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

Chris Philp: I wish to acknowledge that an error that was made in answering a question on 3rd May 2023, which had been tabled by the member for Islington South and Finsbury. Home Office officials have in fact been engaged in discussions since January 2023 with Policing and Fire partners on the potential use of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) across their respective estates. Officials continue to work with our partners to fully understand any risk from RAAC and to identify any appropriate mitigation measures either planned or already taken.However, it continues to be the responsibility of individual police and fire and rescue services, who are operationally independent from Government, to manage their estate and ensure it is compliant with the relevant legislation, including their duties under health and safety legislation to maintain a safe workplace.

Crime: Rural Areas

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce (a) hare coursing, (b) theft and damage to farm equipment and (c) other rural crime; and if she will make a statement.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to driving down rural crime, which is why we are providing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU).The Home Office committed to provide one-off funding of £200,000 to the NRCU this year to assist with set up costs of the new unit. The NRCU will provide support to forces nationally in their responses to rural crime, such as the theft of farming or construction machinery, livestock theft, rural fly tipping, rural fuel theft and equine crime.Police Uplift Programme (PUP) funding has been used to tackle rural crime by forces and led to the formation of new teams and to bolster capabilities.New measures in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act came into force on 1st August 2022, which empower and equip the police and courts with the powers they need to combat hare coursing. These powers included creating two new criminal offences; trespass with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare; and being equipped to trespass with the intention of using a dog to search for or pursue a hare.The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which will help to prevent the theft of agricultural equipment such as quad bikes by requiring immobilisers and forensic markings to be fitted before new equipment is sold to customers, and equipment to be registered on a database. The Act gained Royal Assent on 20 July.

Police: Demonstrations

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make a comparative estimate of the number of the times that the police have used their powers under (a) the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and the Public Order Act 2023 and (b) the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and the Terrorism Act 2000 to place restrictions on protests.

Chris Philp: We do not currently collect data on the uses of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and the Terrorism Act 2000 to place restrictions on certain protests.However, as part of the 2023-24 Annual Data Requirement (ADR), the Home Office introduced a new mandatory requirement for police forces in England and Wales to record data on the use of section 12, 14 and 14ZA under the Public Order Act 1986 (1986 Act). The ADR also included a request for retrospective data on the use of these powers for the period of 28 June 2022 to 31 March 2023.As part of this data collection, information is being requested on: the date and time of the protest; the conditions imposed; the triggers; the theme of the protests/assembly; demographic information such as age, sex and ethnicity; the level of authorisation and the number of resultant arrests.Data will be collected from police forces in due course and the intention is to publish this data in the Summer of 2024. As is usual for all data collections, Home Office analysts will assess the quality of the data collected before making a decision on which information will be included for publication on GOV.UK.The section 12, 14, and 14ZA ADR was developed in collaboration with National Police Coordination Centre, who are overseen by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.In addition, the Home Office will prepare and publish a report on the operation of sections 12, 14, and 14ZA of the 1986 Act as amended by sections 73, 74, and 79 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. This will be published and laid before Parliament by 28 June 2024.

Home Office: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Suella Braverman: There are no current plans for the Home Secretary to visit Solihull.We do not usually comment on visits for security reasons.

Asylum: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on accommodation for asylum seekers within the London Borough of Havering in each of the last five years.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has spent on private security firms for asylum seeker accommodation within the London Borough of Havering in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information.Total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts(opens in a new tab)

Biometric Residence Permits

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an estimate of the number of biometric residence permits that have been issued with incorrect information in 2023.

Robert Jenrick: The information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Cabinet Office

Gardens: Whitehall

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of wellbeing gardens in Whitehall.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office is not aware of any wellbeing gardens. There are no records of wellbeing gardens in government buildings that are managed by the Government Property Agency.

Ministers: Pay

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to introduce legislation to amend the Ministerial Salaries Act 1975 to cover all ministerial positions.

Alex Burghart: The Government has no current plans to amend the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act (1975), which covers all types of ministerial office.

Government Departments: Land

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, published March 2017, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of that guidance; and what assessment he has made of the impact of that guidance on (a) the development of sites and (b) NHS services.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, published by his Department in March 2017, in the context of trends in the level of growth in the construction industry.

Alex Burghart: A Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, published March 2017, was withdrawn in June 2021. By then it was assessed as inadequate: it had out-of-date references and no longer reflected current government policy.Subsequent government reports assessed delivery on the two primary targets for housing land and capital receipts. These showed the release of government-owned sites for redevelopment continued to make progress, and the receipts target was fully met. Land releases included NHS sites, for which an assessment of impact would routinely be made prior to release.There are no plans at present to assess the adequacy of the 2017 guidance. Revised guidance will take account of property market and construction sector situations as well as social value and the three missions of the Government Property Strategy 2022-2030, including a ‘smaller, better, greener’ government estate.

Domestic and Economic Affairs (Union) Committee

Deidre Brock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Department provides secretariat support for the Domestic and Economic Affairs (Union) committee.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Secretariat in the Cabinet Office exists to support the Prime Minister and the chairs of Cabinet committees in ensuring that government business is conducted in an effective and timely way and that proper collective consideration takes place. This includes providing secretariat support for the Domestic and Economic Affairs (Union) Cabinet committee.

Prime Minister: California

Matt Western: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many flights the Prime Minister has made to California since 25 October 2022.

Alex Burghart: Details of Ministerial overseas travel are published on gov.uk on a quarterly basis.

Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) transparency and (b) public accountability of the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Cabinet Committee.

Alex Burghart: It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly. The Guide to Making Legislation (Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-making-legislation) includes an account of the workings of the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee relating to legislation.

Cabinet Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Alex Burghart: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions and every effort is made to reply within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the question require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline. To instil best practice in the Cabinet Office, we host regular departmental training sessions for parliamentary, private office and policy leads.The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet. This can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdfDepartmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available. You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.html

Civil Society

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Alex Burghart: The effectiveness and potential of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 was reviewed by Lord Young in his 2015 report and the Act was further considered as part of the research and public consultation conducted for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Civil Society Strategy in 2018. The Government continues to monitor the progress of its social value policy with departments.

Prime Minister: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister’s Office is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Alex Burghart: The Cabinet Office publishes statistics for FOI requests for all central government departments and other monitored bodies, which can be found on www.gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.The Prime Minister’s Office is part of the Cabinet Office for the purpose of FOI requests. In 2022 the Cabinet Office responded to 92% of FOI requests within time and for Quarter 1 of 2023 this rose to 96%. This is well above the standard set by the Information Commissioner. The Cabinet Office continually monitors and looks for ways to improve its performance.

Cabinet Office: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Alex Burghart: We endeavour to respond to all Subject Access Requests (SAR) received within the Statutory timescales listed within the DPA2018 and UK GDPR. The Cabinet Office received 686 requests during the previous fiscal year (2022-2023). We responded to 678 requests (over 98%) within the legal deadline of 30 days set by the ICO. We extended the deadline for the remaining 8 requests due to their complexity and responded to these requests within the 3 month extension period.

Cabinet Office: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Jeremy Quin: In January 2023, Cabinet Office launched its people transformation programme ‘A Better Cabinet Office’ (ABCO). The core aim is to improve the way it feels to work in the Cabinet Office and positively impact staff engagement and retention. Minister are clear that we must have the best talent that delivers for the tax payer. Unplanned Civil service turnover in the Cabinet Office was 10% in (2022/23).

Cabinet Office: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Jeremy Quin: The Government Cyber Security Strategy was published in 2022. We are working to upgrade our existing protections to ensure that our critical functions are significantly hardened to cyber attack by 2025, with all our functions being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030. This will make us more resilient and protect the personal data we hold. This year the Cabinet Office has adopted GovAssure and the underpinning Cyber Assessment Framework (CAF) as the mechanism by which we assure the cyber security of the services we deliver.

Cabinet Office: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Jeremy Quin: I make frequent visits around the UK in support of the Cabinet Office activities. There are no current plans to visit Solihull but we will bear in mind the suggestion.

Electoral Commission: Cybercrime

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the cyber attack on the Electoral Commission  from August 2021; and what steps the Commission have taken to protect voters information.

Jeremy Quin: Since the Electoral Commission reported the incident to the National Cyber Security Centre, the government has worked closely with the Commission to provide it with all the expertise and support required to deal with this incident and protect voters’ information. The cyber attack experienced by the Electoral Commission and other recent incidents demonstrate just how real the threat is. This government has already identified the challenge we face and is delivering greater cyber resilience through both the National Cyber Strategy and the Government Cyber Security Strategies which were launched in 2022.

Domestic Abuse: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many disabled (a) women and (b) men have been victims of domestic abuse in each of the last five years for which data are available.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 1 September is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 122.7KB)

Migrants

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of British Citizens who were born overseas by country.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1 September is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 107.5KB)

Parliamentary Private Secretaries

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish an updated list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries.

Alex Burghart: A list of Parliamentary Private Secretaries is published on gov.uk. An updated list will be published shortly, taking into account recent changes within Government.

Cabinet Office: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Alex Burghart: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence. As per the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Handling Correspondence on gov.uk, departments and agencies should aim to respond to correspondence within a 20-working day target deadline. While each Department is responsible for managing their own timeliness in responding to correspondence, the Cabinet Office, as owners of the Guide to Handling Correspondence, regularly engages with correspondence officials in Government Departments to discuss and review performance and issues that may be impacting performance. With regards to timeliness of responses to enquiries received by members, the Cabinet Office published data on this for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022  Government Ministers are expected to respond quickly and effectively to Members’ correspondence and I will continue to drive that message. Every effort must be made to reply to correspondence promptly and within the original deadline.

Prime Minister: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister's Office is taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data the Prime Minister’s Office holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Alex Burghart: For the Prime Minister’s Office, I refer the hon. Member my answer of 8 November 2022, PQ 73827.

Prime Minister: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister’s Office is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Alex Burghart: The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) leads the Government Digital and Data function; this includes setting strategy and direction for the improvement of digital services and understanding current performance.Since the publication of the National Disability Strategy last July, CDDO has published the outcome of its work to monitor UK public sector websites and mobile applications. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/accessibility-monitoring-of-public-sector-websites-and-mobile-apps-2020-2021/accessibility-monitoring-of-public-sector-websites-and-mobile-apps-2020-2021.Outputs of this publication and other reviews of digital service performance across government have informed a new performance framework, created by CDDO, for service provision in Government.This framework forms part of mission 1 of the Transforming for a Digital Future strategy, which commits HMG to move 50 of its Top 75 services (by volume) to ‘Great’ standard on the framework by 2025.It explicitly requires compliance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (“accessibility regulations'') and sets thresholds for user experience, which are in line with global best practice.CDDO is working proactively with departments to ensure that public services meet the requirements set out in the framework, in order to move them to ‘Great’ standard.Alongside this, Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to monitor accessibility compliance and CDDO monitors adherence to the Service Standard and Design Standard, all of which set out minimum requirements for user experience and accessibility and are formally monitored by CDDO through its Service Assessment process.GOV.UK’s strategy aims to improve the overall user experience by making it quicker and easier for users to access information and services, in formats and channels of their choice.

UK Trade with EU

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the EU on references to the United Kingdom being removed from EU tender.

Alex Burghart: Following the UK’s exit from the EU, the UK is no longer bound by EU procurement laws. Through the Procurement Bill, we now have an opportunity to develop and implement a new procurement regime. However, UK and EU suppliers continue to enjoy reciprocal access to each other's public procurement marketplaces through our commitments in free trade agreements such as the UK/EU Trade & Cooperation Agreement and the WTO Government Procurement Agreement.

Veterans: Cost of Living

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department plans to take to support veterans with increases in the cost of living.

Johnny Mercer: This Government is committed to supporting all households, including veterans, with the cost of living through initiatives such as cost of living payments. Veterans in receipt of disability benefits, including the Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance or the Mobility Supplement under the War Pension Scheme, are among those eligible for a £150 disability cost of living payment. We encourage veterans in need of support to contact the Veterans' Gateway on 0808 802 1212, where a range of information and support services can be accessed. Fundamentally, the best way that we can tackle increased pressures on the cost of living is by reducing inflation, and that is what this Government is committed to do.

Prime Minister: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister's Office is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data the Prime Minister's Office holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Alex Burghart: The Prime Minister answered 100% of Written Parliamentary Questions on time in the last reporting session.

Strikes: Economic Growth

Dr Liam Fox: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the ONS has made of the impact of strike action on growth in (a) each of the last three quarters and (b) June.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1 September is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 125.9KB)

Death

Matt Western: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many excess deaths were recorded in (a) 2022 and (b) 2012.

Jeremy Quin: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 1 September is attached. UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 123.6KB)

Department for Transport

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency: Buildings

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many buildings used by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency have been surveyed to assess the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete; over what period that work took place; and what the results were of that survey.

Mr Richard Holden: DVSA is currently undergoing a review of the use of RAAC across the estate as a priority. Once this is concluded, they will supply their findings to the Department.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using Section 143 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to veto the Mayor of London's proposals to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government has never supported or advocated the choice the Mayor of London has made to expand the ULEZ to the whole of Greater London, which was not in his manifesto. His revised transport plan, which included the ULEZ expansion, was passed by the GLA in 2022, with only Conservative MLAs opposing its imposition. S.143 of the GLA Act is not legally actionable in the case of ULEZ, the only thing that could be done to stop it would be a change of Primary Legislation to reduce the power of the Mayor of London and the GLA. It is for the Mayor of London to justify his decision to expand the ULEZ and impose a £12.50 per day tax on the motorists within the capital and those who enter it for work, caring responsibilities or leisure, hitting the poorest the hardest and negatively impacting the economy of our capital city. The people will have their verdict on the Mayor’s decision in next year’s mayor election.

Low Emission Zones: Greater London

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will use the power in Section 143 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to direct the Mayor of London not to expand the ULEZ to outer London boroughs.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government has never supported or advocated the choice the Mayor of London has made to expand the ULEZ to the whole of Greater London, which was not in his manifesto. His revised transport plan, which included the ULEZ expansion, was passed by the GLA in 2022, with only Conservative MLAs opposing its imposition. S.143 of the GLA Act is not legally actionable in the case of ULEZ, the only thing that could be done to stop it would be a change of Primary Legislation to reduce the power of the Mayor of London and the GLA. It is for the Mayor of London to justify his decision to expand the ULEZ and impose a £12.50 per day tax on the motorists within the capital and those who enter it for work, caring responsibilities or leisure, hitting the poorest the hardest and negatively impacting the economy of our capital city. The people will have their verdict on the Mayor’s decision in next year’s mayor election.

Railways: Access

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that rail travel is fully accessible.

Huw Merriman: Following a commitment made in the 2021 Plan for Rail White Paper, the Department commissioned the Great British Railways Transition Team to design and develop a National Rail Accessibility Strategy. This work is ongoing. We are continuing to support the Access for All programme which has delivered over 230 accessible stations so far with another 70 currently in construction or development and we have committed funding to ensure that all GB railway platforms will have platform edge tactiles installed by 2025. The Department for Transport has also recently completed an accessibility audit of all 2,577 stations.

Railways: Overcrowding

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average level of overcrowding is on each rail service.

Huw Merriman: The Department collects and publishes crowding related data for selected midweek services arriving or departing from major English and Welsh cities during a 12 week period in autumn. Full details of the cities and stations for which there were crowded services are presented in the most recent publication and in the associated 2022 Data Tables, here: Rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays in major cities in England and Wales: 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The service-level passenger load information collected by the Department is considered commercially sensitive by the operators who own the data and therefore the information is held by the Department under a duty of confidentiality.

Railways: Standards

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help (a) reduce the number of cancellations and (b) improve the punctuality of train services.

Huw Merriman: The Department has been clear that the current, sustained poor performance on the railway is unacceptable, and the industry needs to make significant improvements to deliver the punctual, reliable services that passengers and taxpayers deserve. Through the Department’s National Rail Contracts, there is a direct link between punctuality and reliability and the fee operators receive to incentivise improved performance and minimise cancellations. The Department continues to monitor the situation and hold the industry to account through regular high-level meetings with both Network Rail and representatives from the train operators.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on supporting the UK market to reach 300,000 public electric vehicle charging points by 2030.

Jesse Norman: The rollout of electric car chargers is accelerating every year, and the Government expects around 300,000 public chargers to be installed by 2030. Over 45,500 public charging devices have been installed.

Railway Stations: Operating Costs

Chris Loder: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has set targets for train operating companies to reduce operational costs for rail stations.

Huw Merriman: This is an industry-led process. The outcomes of the consultations will not be known until the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement process has been concluded.

Railway Stations: Tickets

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that responses to the consultation on ticket office closures are given appropriate weight in line with the Equality Act 2010 and the Transport Act 2000.

Huw Merriman: Following the end of the consultations, the independent passenger bodies now play a vital role in assessing and shaping proposals. Train operators have entered into discussions with the passenger bodies to take account of feedback from the consultation responses. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly. The Department has no role in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) process unless objections cannot be resolved between the train operator and passenger body and are referred to the Secretary of State for a decision. If called upon to make a determination on a specific ticket office proposal, the Secretary of State will follow the TSA process alongside the relevant guidance and will take into account the equality implications of the proposal in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) under the Equality Act 2010.

Roads: Shipley

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has been made on the development process for the Shipley Eastern Relief Road.

Mr Richard Holden: The City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (the Council) submitted a Strategic Outline Case (SOC) for the Shipley Eastern Congestion Relief Scheme in October 2022. The Department has informed the Council that this scheme can be considered for possible government investment under the current Major Road Network/ Large Local Majors programme, subject to a commitment being made by the Council that it can provide a funding contribution of a minimum of 15% of scheme costs. This commitment is needed in order for the Department now to progress its consideration of whether to approve the SOC, but no such commitment from the Council has yet been received.

Public Transport: Finance

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies on improving public transport of the impact of local transport (a) levies in France and (b) funding instruments in other countries.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government keeps its funding model for local transport services under review, and takes account of a wide range of factors, including evidence from overseas, in determining the appropriate level and means of support for local transport authorities.

Driving Tests: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has with the DVSA on the availability of practical driving tests in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.

Mr Richard Holden: Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published every quarter and this information can be accessed on the GOV.UK website via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dft-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings

Driving Tests

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has with the DVSA on the availability of practical driving tests in England.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the length of the average wait for a practical driving test in the UK since January 2023.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May to Question 184467 on Driving Tests, how many accounts have been closed by the DVSA for breaching the terms and conditions relating to the booking of practical driving tests.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the DVSA allows third party companies to book practical driving tests online.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of brokers who are (a) selling and (b) re-selling practical driving tests online.

Mr Richard Holden: Details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations are published every quarter and this information can be accessed on the GOV.UK website via the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dft-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test since January 2023 is 17.1 weeks. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that some companies have been using bots to snap up appointments on its public booking service, as soon as they become available, leaving fewer test appointments for genuine learner drivers to purchase directly from the DVSA. The DVSA does not employ, encourage or licence anyone to provide such a cancellation service checking for newly open slots. These apps or bots are not approved by the DVSA as they make it harder for candidates to get a test and can result in people paying more for a test than the official test fee. Using such services also means that any changes to the test may not necessarily be relayed to the candidate. To ensure its booking system is used correctly, the DVSA has:- stopped accepting new automatic online registrations to use its tests booking service – any new applications must be made by email, where they will be thoroughly checked by the DVSA.- stopped accepting any new registrations from companies who do not directly employ a driving instructor.- removed registrations not linked to driving instructors.- reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed from 10 to the pre-pandemic limit of 6 and updated the test booking service terms and conditions to make it clear that users must not book tests and sell them for profit. Following these changes, there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services because the DVSA is successfully identifying and blocking apps or bots. Users found breaching the terms and conditions may have their accounts closed. In June 2022, the DVSA stopped customers registering for online business service (OBS) accounts and added the requirement for an approved driving instructor (ADI) to be associated with businesses that booked car tests. The DVSA removed around 7,000 unused business that did not have an ADI associated with them. At this point, the DVSA did not close any duplicate businesses.Since May 2023, the DVSA has investigated business that appear to have multiple OBS accounts. Overall, 255 business have been investigated across 8 cases.This has resulted in:197 businesses closed6 business providing sufficient evidence of their independence and reinstated52 businesses remain suspended pending investigation The DVSA does not hold the number of driving tests that have been booked by automated bots. The DVSA is continuing to take steps to block cancellation services from accessing the booking system. These applications, however, are constantly evolving and changing, and the DVSA’s work on this is ongoing.

Roads: Tree Planting

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) expand the National Highways tree-planting scheme and (b) replace dead trees planted under the scheme.

Mr Richard Holden: As part of its Net Zero Plan National Highways has committed to planting at least an additional 3 million trees by 2030. This commitment is being delivered now and will continue through RIS2 and beyond.The early establishment years are particularly challenging for tree success and the early survival rate is very dependent on prevailing climatic conditions. National Highway’s Chief Highway Engineer is overseeing a rewrite of specifications for highways, including landscape and ecology planting and maintenance.

Blue Badge Scheme

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an estimate of the average cost to process a blue badge application per local authority in England.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has not made any such assessment.

A16 and A17: Dual Carriageways

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential economic benefits of dualling the A16 and A17.

Mr Richard Holden: The A16 and A17 are the responsibility of local highway authorities – Lincolnshire County Council through South Holland and the Deepings, and neighbouring authorities where they run beyond the county council’s boundary. It is for those authorities to assess the benefits of improvements to areas of their networks, and to seek funding, if required. Almost £20 million from the Levelling Up Fund has been allocated to improve the A16 corridor between Boston and Spalding, improving transport links for the food growth sector.

Large Goods Vehicles: Fuels

James Wild: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of fuel prices on the competitiveness of the haulage industry.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport (DfT) does not hold a formal assessment of specific impacts on haulage industry competitiveness.

Tunnels: West Yorkshire

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide an update on progress on the feasibility study into the redevelopment of Queensbury Tunnel, West Yorkshire; and whether he has received a final version of the report from Bradford Council.

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide an update on the proposed redevelopment of Queensbury Tunnel.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department has not yet received a final version of the report from Bradford City Council and will make an announcement on next steps in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle vehicle registration fraud.

Mr Richard Holden: It is an offence to provide the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) with false or misleading information. The DVLA requires proof of name of address as part of the application process for the first registration of vehicles and there is a legal obligation on vehicles’ keepers to notify the DVLA of certain subsequent changes to the vehicle (including a change of keeper). Unfortunately, there will always be a small percentage of individuals who, for whatever reason, will not comply with their legal obligation to provide correct information. The DVLA works with key stakeholders to identify and prevent vehicle fraud. In the event of fraud, the DVLA actively gathers information and intelligence regarding illegal and improper conduct and will follow up any notifications of fraudulent activity with the relevant authorities.

Motor Vehicles: Diesel and Petrol

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to reassess the ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

Jesse Norman: Ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans is a key part of reducing long-term transport air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Government has no plans to reassess the phasing out of the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.

Speed Limits: Wales

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to take statutory steps to prevent the Welsh Government from introducing a default 20mph speed limit in built-up areas throughout Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: Setting speed limits in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Government. Whilst I do not agree with the decision they have made, and would strongly oppose its introduction in the England, it is their decision to make.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to take steps to release information on National Highways' reasons for taking decisions to enforce variable speed limits on (a) specific dates, (b) times and (c) locations on smart motorways.

Mr Richard Holden: There are various reasons why National Highways may temporarily lower speed limits, including to deal with traffic congestion. Whatever the reason, the limit will be enforceable. However, National Highways is not an enforcement agency. Variable speed enforcement cameras are installed as part of every smart motorway scheme and are operated by the Police, who, as the enforcement authority, decide when and at what level to enforce.

Emergencies

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including additional emergency responders in the blue light system.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government recognises that access to warning equipment and road traffic exemptions is essential to allow the emergency services to protect the public. Emergency driving does have an element of risk, and it is equally important that appropriate governance and safeguards are in place to ensure emergency driving takes place only where justified, and with adequate levels of training. The Government intends to introduce the secondary legislation necessary to commence section 19 Road Safety Act 2006. This legislation, as well as setting a mandatory minimum training level before emergency responders can claim the speed exemption, creates a number of new emergency exemption purposes. It will also create a simplified process for adding further emergency purposes subject to appropriate justification, through secondary rather than primary legislation. Finally, it will also harmonise access to blue lights and sirens for voluntary sector secondary responders working to UK Search and Rescue [UKSAR] guidelines.

Motorways: Speed Limits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department consulted the Chief Scientific Adviser on the decision by National Highways to trial 60mph speed limits on motorways on the grounds of air quality.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport draws from a range of scientific advice and expertise, including from the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, the Chief Scientific Advisers in individual Government Departments, and academics and researchers. National Highways are in the process of analysing the results of the speed limit trials and will be publishing the reports in due course.

Roads: Tree Planting

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that trees planted by National Highways as part of tree planting schemes are maintained.

Mr Richard Holden: The early establishment years are particularly challenging for tree success. The early survival rate is very dependent on prevailing climatic conditions. However, National Highways has been listening to customers and communities, and is committed to delivering a more sustainable network, that protects and strengthens the environment for the future. To meet its Net Zero Carbon commitment to plant an additional 3 million trees they have sourced native tree seed of UK provenance and are growing these in a UK nursery to begin planting in 2024-25. National Highway’s Chief Highway Engineer is overseeing a rewrite of specifications for highways, including landscape and ecology planting and maintenance.

Roads: Tree Planting

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trees his Department has planted on road infrastructure in each of the last 10 years.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of trees his Department has planted on road infrastructure in the last 10 years that have subsequently died.

Mr Richard Holden: The collation of this data started in 2018, therefore data is not available for the last ten years.

Pedestrian Crossings: Schools

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure there are safe road crossing points near schools; and if he will publish all data his Department holds on changes in the number of school crossing guards per local authority in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Traffic management of roads, including provision of road crossing points near schools, is the responsibility of local authorities. The Department and Active Travel England provide funding to local authorities to enable them to make improvements of this sort: funding allocations are on gov.uk. The Department does not hold any data on the changes in the number of school crossing patrol officers. Decisions about providing funding for school crossing patrols are a matter for individual local authorities.

Roads: Safety

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish a consultation on the road safety strategic framework.

Mr Richard Holden: We aim to publish the framework in due course.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) vacancies for HGV drivers, (b) HGV drivers undergoing training and (c) HGV drivers expected to retire from the industry in the next five years.

Mr Richard Holden: It is not possible to estimate the total number of HGV drivers currently undergoing training. This is because some haulage companies have in-house training programmes and private sector training companies also train new drivers. The Government has also invested in training for new drivers for example, £34m to train up to 11,000 HGV drivers through Skills Bootcamps and the LGV Driver and Urban Driver Apprenticeships which receive funding of up to £8,000 and £5,000 respectively. In the financial year FY21-22 there were 4,740 learner starts in HGV Skills Bootcamps and 3,247 LGV Driver and Urban Driver Apprenticeship starts. The Office for National Statistics Annual Population Survey estimated in the year April 2022 to March 2023 34% of HGV drivers were aged 56 or older. However, it is not possible to estimate how many drivers will retire in the next 5 years as HGV drivers that continue to meet the licensing requirements, including the driver medicals, can continue to drive beyond the state pension age.

Roads: Safety

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recentsteps his Department has taken to improve road safety.

Mr Richard Holden: Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe. In June 2018 the Department announced £100 million of funding to drive forward safety improvements on ‘A’ roads in England, to date £147.5 million has been allocated throughout a series of rounds over the last 6 years. This project works closely with Local Authorities and the Road Safety Foundation, providing tailored safety interventions specific to each road’s risk, encouraging safe system principles and improving infrastructure for more active travel. This scheme is expected to save 1500 lives over the next 20 years and is already improving safety for all road users.The Highway Code was updated on 29 January 2022, the changes will lead to improvements in road safety as they encourage more mutual respect and consideration for all road users.

Roads: Safety

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for all road users; and what plans he has to help reduce the number of road (a) accidents and (b) fatalities.

Mr Richard Holden: Britain’s roads are some of the safest in the world, but we are always looking at ways to help keep drivers and all road users safe. In June 2018 the Department announced £100 million of funding for the Top 50 most dangerous ‘A’ roads in England, to date £147.5 million has been allocated throughout a series of rounds over the last 6 years. This project works closely with the Local Authorities and the Road Safety Foundation, providing tailored safety interventions specific to each road’s risk, encouraging safe system principles and improving infrastructure for more active travel. This scheme is expected to save 1500 lives over the next 20 years and is already improving safety for all road users. The Highway Code was updated on 29 January 2022, the changes will lead to improvements in road safety as they encourage more mutual respect and consideration for all road users.

Roads: East Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much was spent on fixing potholes in East Yorkshire in each of the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Local highway authorities, including the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 to maintain the highway network in their area. Local highway authorities do not have a requirement to routinely inform the Department of their spend on pothole repairs. During the past five financial years the Department has provided over £73 million to East Riding of Yorkshire Council for local highway maintenance, including the repairs of road defects such as potholes. YearHighways Maintenance Block £mPothole Action Fund £mPothole Fund £mTotal £m2019/2010.7410.623 11.3642020/2110.7410.6097.30618.6562021/227.663 6.13013.7932022/237.663 6.13013.7932023/247.663 8.582[1]16.245Total44.4711.23228.14873.851 The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities also provides revenue funding to all local authorities, including the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, via the annual Revenue Support Grant. This is unringfenced and local authorities can use it for local highways maintenance.  [1] Includes East Riding’s share of the extra £200 million for the year 2023/24 announced in the Budget 2023:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/highways-maintenance-funding-allocations/additional-budget-2023-highways-maintenance-and-pothole-repair-funding-2023-to-2024

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to create a Government app for electric vehicle charging which has access to all charging point providers sites.

Jesse Norman: The Government is driving innovation in the charge point market in order to best support consumers. This would be hindered by mandating a single app. The Government has instead laid The Public Charge Points Regulations 2023, which will mandate payment roaming at all public charge points. Drivers will then be able to pay for multiple chargepoint networks through one app or smartcard. This will enable streamlined payments across charging networks, without the need for multiple apps. The Governments expects the market to eventually converge on a few apps that cover the majority of the public charging network.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Alec Shelbrooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on supporting the provision of on-street charging points for electric vehicles where there (a) is no off-street parking and (b) are no public charge points.

Jesse Norman: The Department is supporting local authorities through the £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, enabling local authorities to work with industry to transform the availability of charging infrastructure for drivers without off-street parking. A key aspect of the LEVI Fund is over £45m Capability funding, which enables local authorities to secure dedicated in-house expertise to plan and deliver EV chargepoint strategies, which take account of local challenges. A variety of technical, commercial and management guidance and best practice is available for local authorities through the LEVI Fund Support Body, appointed by the Department to deliver the LEVI Fund. This includes a ‘Knowledge Repository’ which contains guidance for each stage of charging infrastructure delivery, from writing a strategy to selecting sites and hardware through to designing effective contracts using a procurement ‘heads of terms’.

Driving Tests

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department last met the DVSA to discuss waiting times for driving tests in England.

Mr Richard Holden: My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State last met DVSA to discuss driving test waiting times on 22 August.

Railways: Industrial Disputes

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he or officials from his Department last met the Rail Delivery Group in relation to the ongoing industrial dispute.

Huw Merriman: The Department engages with the Rail Delivery Group on a daily basis to discuss a range of matters including the ongoing industrial dispute. The Department is not the employer. Negotiations are between industry and the trade unions. RMT and ASLEF decided not to allow their members to have a say on the fair and reasonable offers that were proposed by industry. Instead, they rejected these outright and have pressed on with industrial action that impacts their members and the public. This industrial action will not avoid the need for essential workforce reform. Together with industry we are keen to press ahead with critical reforms so that we achieve a financially and operationally sustainable rail network that provides a service that passengers deserve.

Cars: Insurance

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of recent trends in the level of car insurance inflation.

Mr Richard Holden: The setting of motor insurance premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not intervene or seek to control the market.

Railway Stations: Access

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2023 to Question 179888 on Railway Stations: Access, when he plans to announce the allocation of funding for the next round of Access for All bids.

Huw Merriman: We are assessing over 300 nominations with Network Rail for stations, in anticipation of further Access for All funding becoming available beyond 2024. We hope to be in a position to announce successful projects later this year although all will be subject to further feasibility analysis.

Cars: Insurance

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the average change in the level of car insurance premiums in the last year.

Mr Richard Holden: The setting of motor insurance premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The government does not intervene or seek to control the market.

Railway Stations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the train operating companies sought the agreement of his Department on the proposed number of (a) ticket office closures and (b) hours stations would be staffed before beginning its consultation on these matters.

Huw Merriman: Through the industry-led Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) process when a train operating company proposes to make a change to the opening hours, or closure of a ticket office, they must follow the rules set out in the TSA.The Secretary of State and his Department did not approve any of the respective proposals before the companies commenced consultation. Government has asked train operators to reduce the cost of the industry to the taxpayer given the dire financial situation facing the railways; as well as ensure staff are deployed where they are most needed by passengers. These are industry proposals. This is a real opportunity to update and improve the way train operators deliver for customers. The DfT issued mandates to TOCS on station reform earlier in 2023 We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly.Whilst it is my expectation that no currently staffed station should be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, it is for train operators to decide on their staffing arrangements at each of the stations from which they operate services, so they can best meet the needs of passengers.

Ferries: Scotland

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with (a) the Scottish Government, (b) Scottish transport agencies and (c) Scottish maritime agencies on the provision of ferries in Scotland since the UK left the EU.

Mr Richard Holden: As per UIN 197145, international freight and passenger ferry services are generally operated on a fully commercial basis, whilst domestic ferry routes in Scotland are a devolved matter. Therefore, neither I nor the department has had specific conversations on these matters with the organisations mentioned.

Railways: Freight

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has held with (a) industry and (b) other stakeholders on the potential merits of increasing the amount of freight transported around the UK on the rail network.

Huw Merriman: The Government is committed to growing rail freight and I meet regularly with industry to discuss the work we are doing to achieve this. I host bi-monthly roundtable meetings with the rail freight sector and Network Rail, I have visited freight operators on site and attended numerous industry events. I have also met with representative bodies of rail freight customers and also of Ports with key interests in rail freight.

Railway Stations: Tickets

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department approved train company proposals for ticket office closures before consultations began.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the train operating companies sought the agreement of his Department before beginning the consultation on ticket office closures.

Huw Merriman: Through the industry-led Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) process when a train operating company proposes to make a change to the opening hours, or closure of a ticket office, they must follow the rules set out in the TSA. The Secretary of State and his Department did not approve any of the respective proposals before the companies commenced consultation. Government has asked train operators to reduce the cost of the industry to the taxpayer given the dire financial situation facing the railways; as well as ensure staff are deployed where they are most needed by passengers. These are industry proposals. This is a real opportunity to update and improve the way train operators deliver for customers. The DfT issued mandates to TOCS on station reform earlier in 2023. We expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly. Whilst it is my expectation that no currently staffed station should be unstaffed as a result of industry changes, it is for train operators to decide on their staffing arrangements at each of the stations from which they operate services, so they can best meet the needs of passengers.

Railway Stations: Tickets

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on ticketless travel of  the proposed closures of ticket offices in train stations.

Huw Merriman: The Department for Transport works closely with train operators to ensure that robust strategies are in place to prevent ticketless travel. Revenue protection is the responsibility of the train operating companies, and we expect them to rigorously undertake ticket checks at gate lines and on trains, including issuing penalty fares and prosecuting fare evaders where appropriate. When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours, including closures, we would expect operators to continue to ensure they have in place a robust revenue protection strategy. Rail passengers must buy their tickets before they start their journey wherever there are facilities such as a self-service ticket machine that enable them to do so.In response to concerns from railway staff that the value of the Penalty Fare was not enough of a sufficient deterrent, on 23 January 2023, the Penalty Fare was increased to £100 plus the price of the single fare to the intended destination on that train.

Bridges: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the condition of the Stockport Viaduct.

Huw Merriman: Network Rail maintain a rigorous cyclical inspection process for all their bridges and structures, which includes Stockport Viaduct. The most recent detailed inspection of the viaduct was conducted over 2018/2019, to ensure its continued safety and structural integrity. These detailed inspections take place every six years, with visual examinations being completed by Network Rail’s structural engineers once a year. Network Rail’s structures team have confirmed that some brick work repairs are planned later this year, with additional drainage repairs scheduled to take place in 2024.

Civil Aviation Authority

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on reforms to its enforcement powers.

Jesse Norman: The recent public body review of the CAA made 24 recommendations including in relation to enforcement. DfT officials discuss implementing these recommendations with the CAA regularly. The Department published its response to the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform consultation on 27 June 2023, which included a commitment to legislate when parliamentary time allows to provide the CAA with additional administrative powers. The Department will work closely with the CAA on the design of those powers to make sure they are effective and proportionate. A review of safety enforcement powers last took place in 2022; further work is needed to evaluate properly and fully the available options and to consider any additional engagement or consultation needed to understand the implications of any changes to current policy. Any changes agreed will be implemented as part of our joint DfT CAA rulemaking programme.

Aviation: Sierra Leone

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with airlines on the viability of direct flights to Sierra Leone.

Jesse Norman: Department for Transport Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with airlines, airports and international partners to facilitate global connectivity. Air services between the United Kingdom and other countries are governed by a portfolio of bilateral air services agreements, which set the framework in which airlines from both countries operate. Our agreement with Sierra Leone specifies that there are no limitations on the frequency or type of services between Sierra Leone and the UK. Any airline from the UK or Sierra Leone, designated under this agreement, can operate between any points in the two countries. It is for individual airlines to determine whether to take advantage of the rights and routes available to them within any air services agreement. Market conditions, such as the availability of indirect routing options, often affect the commercial considerations of airlines.

Aviation

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits taking steps to increase the cost of private jet flights, in the context of their impact on the environment.

Jesse Norman: The aviation sector, including business aviation, is important for the whole of the UK economy and supports connectivity, direct economic activity, trade, investment and jobs. The Department is taking measures to reduce emissions from aviation. Its Jet Zero Strategy sets out how the sector can achieve net zero aviation by 2050 without requiring additional government interventions to limit aviation growth, by focusing on new fuels and technology.

Aviation: Taxation

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of imposing a green levy on private jet flights.

Jesse Norman: The aviation sector, including business aviation, is important for the whole of the UK economy and supports connectivity, direct economic activity, trade, investment and jobs. The Department is taking measures to reduce emissions from aviation. Its Jet Zero Strategy sets out how the sector can achieve net zero aviation by 2050 without requiring additional government interventions to limit aviation growth, by focusing on new fuels and technology.

Aviation

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support consumers affected by flight cancellations in summer 2023.

Jesse Norman: The Department has been clear with industry partners that they should ensure passengers receive the best possible service and are provided with the support they need in the event of disruption. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring that airlines are meeting their obligations under the legislation that sets out air passenger rights. It continues to monitor industry performance, and will take action where required. It is very important that passengers understand their rights. This is why the Department published the Aviation Passenger Charter in July 2022. The Charter provides passengers with information needed for each stage of their journey, including if something goes wrong.

Civil Aviation Authority

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to consult (a) consumer and (b) passenger groups on proposed reforms to the powers of the Civil Aviation Authority.

Jesse Norman: The Department consulted in January 2022 on a range of aviation consumer issues, including whether to provide the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) with additional powers to enforce aviation consumer rights. The Department published its response to that consultation on 27 June 2023, which included a commitment to legislate when parliamentary time allows to provide the CAA with additional administrative powers. Further informal consultation with stakeholders may be required on the design of these powers.

Department for Transport: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187965 on Department for Transport: Taiwan, if he will identify which minister represented his Department for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021, (e) 2022 and (f) 2023 ; and if he will identify the (i) job title and (ii) grade of the most senior official who represented his Department when a minister was not present for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (A) 2018, (B) 2019, (C) 2020, (D) 2021, (E) 2022 and (F) 2023.

Jesse Norman: Between 2018 and 2023, DfT Ministers have met with representatives of Taiwan once. In 2020, Baroness Vere of Norbiton met with the Taipei Representative to the UK to discuss transport matters. The Department also had regular official level meetings with representatives of the Taiwanese administration during this period, both in the UK and through the British Office in Taipei, in line with our longstanding policy on Taiwan.

Railways: Sexual Offences

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether train operating companies are required to have a policy on dealing with sexual assault and harassment as a condition of securing a passenger service contract.

Huw Merriman: The safety and security of rail passengers is and will continue to be of paramount importance for the Government and Train Operators. The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) ‘Zero Tolerance’ campaign was launched in August 2021 in collaboration with Crime Stoppers and British Transport Police (BTP) to tackle sexual harassment on the railway, with all Train operating Companies participating in the scheme. All Train Operators are also required to set out how they are tackling violence against women and girls, and to develop, maintain and implement a Safeguarding on Rail Scheme, accredited by the British Transport Police.

Department for Transport: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport,  if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: I would be happy to consider a future visit to the Solihull constituency at the earliest opportunity.

London Underground: Air Pollution

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has held discussions with Transport for London on the detection of microscopic metallic particles in the air across the London Underground.

Mr Richard Holden: Transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has regular discussions with TfL on a range of issues, however, the management of air quality on the London Underground is a matter solely for them. More widely, responsibility for air quality within London is devolved from the Secretary of State to the Mayor of London.

Bus Services: Concessions

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential merits of reducing the age at which people become eligible for an older person's bus pass.

Mr Richard Holden: Whilst councils can choose to expand the criteria for concessionary travel in their areas, there are no plans to force them to do so.

Bus Services: Finance

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of implementing a long-term funding system for bus (a) operators and (b) manufacturers.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department for Transport recently announced a long-term approach to protect and improve bus services backed by an additional £300 million until April 2025. £140 million of this funding will go to bus operators to support services, and the remaining £160 million will go to Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) to protect and enhance bus services, and support local fares initiatives. We also make available up to £259 million every year for bus operators and LTAs to keep fares down and run services that might otherwise be unprofitable and could lead to cancellation through the Bus Service Operators Grant. The Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme did not provide funding for bus manufacturers; however, we have provided £269.57 million to Local Transport Authorities to support the introduction of 1,300 zero emission buses and supporting infrastructure. This is part of the government’s wider investment in zero-emission buses (ZEBs), which totals over £450m and funded an estimated 4,200 ZEBs across the UK so far.

Road Traffic Offences: Fixed Penalties

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to require (a) local authorities and (b) Transport for London to use any money acquired through Penalty Charge Notices for motoring offences to improve roads or public transport.

Mr Richard Holden: Regulation 27 of The Civil Enforcement of Road Traffic Contraventions (Approved Devices, Charging Guidelines and General Provisions) (England) Regulations 2022 already restricts the use of any income from civil enforcement of traffic contraventions in all English local authorities including Transport for London. It can only be used to fund enforcement costs; costs incurred by the local authority of other schemes to improve local transport and the environment, including local public transport schemes; highway or road improvement projects, and improvement measures to reduce environmental pollution.

Railways: Construction

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which railway lines have been (a) built and (b) reopened in the last 20 years; how many jobs were created (i) directly during the first two years of each construction, (ii) indirectly during the first two years of each construction and (iii) overall in each project; and how much each project cost.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which railway stations have been (a) built and (b) reopened in the last 20 years; whether his Department has made an estimate of the number of jobs created (i) directly during the first two years of constructions, (ii) indirectly during the first two years of each constructions and (iii) overall in each project; and what data his Department holds on the cost of each project.

Huw Merriman: The Office of Rail and Road publishes data on the authorisation into use of new railway infrastructure (including new stations and lines) since 2019 at: https://www.orr.gov.uk/guidance-compliance/rail/health-safety/laws/interoperability/authorisations The Department does not routinely hold information on levels of job creation across all station and line projects and is unable to answer the timeframe requested as this would incur disproportionate cost.

Cycling: Infrastructure

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to announce further rounds of funding for mini-Holland schemes.

Jesse Norman: The Government is investing at least £100m of capital funding in active travel infrastructure over the next two years, including for mini-Holland schemes. Further funding to local authorities for active travel schemes in 2023/24 onwards will be announced later in the year.

Department for Transport: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold statistics on the average time taken to respond to subject access requests. In the 2022-23 financial year the Department and its executive agencies received 17,002 subject access requests. The Department met the statutory response deadlines in 97% of cases.

Railway Stations: Tickets

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to publish the impact assessment on the closure of rail ticket offices.

Huw Merriman: When proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours – including closures – train operators are required to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers who are disabled, and to include this in the notice of the proposal sent to other operators and passenger groups. When consulting, operators should have also clearly considered other equality-related needs. Operators prepared Equality Impact Assessments, and these were available on their websites during the consultation. Together with the industry, we want to improve and modernise the passenger experience by moving staff out from ticket offices to provide more help and advice in customer focused roles. The consultation period has now closed, and we now expect train operators to work collaboratively with the passenger bodies in the coming weeks, to listen to the concerns raised and to refine their proposals accordingly.

Network Rail: Pay

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with Network Rail on the award of staff bonuses to employees who took part in industrial action.

Huw Merriman: The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Network Rail on this matter. Decisions on Network Rail Performance Related Pay are made by Network Rail’s Nominations and Remuneration committee.

East West Rail Line

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will include a question in the upcoming East West Rail 2024 Statutory Consultation on the level of support for the project; and if he will (a) record and (b) publish any comments left in the box for any other comments.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with East West Rail on the timescale for when the 2024 Statutory Consultation will commence.

Huw Merriman: As set out in the Route Update Report published by East West Rail Company in May 2023, a statutory consultation on the project is expected to take place in the first half of 2024. Consideration will be given to the questions for consultation by East West Rail Company in advance of this.

East West Rail Line: Property

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of approving a 10 percent of house value compensation payment as part of the East West Rail Need to Sell Property Scheme for homes confirmed as being blighted.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the East West Rail project to introduce a streamlined blight scheme which expedites compensation at a specific phase of the project.

Huw Merriman: The East West Rail Need to Sell Property Scheme was launched in May 2023 to address generalised blight that may arise from the East West Rail project. Applicants to the scheme are asked to provide evidence against five criteria set out in the Scheme Guide and East West Rail Company is committed to resolving cases as quickly as possible. Where an application is successful, East West Rail Company will make an offer to purchase a property for the unblighted market value. Compensation under the scheme is the same as is offered under the HS2 Need to Sell Scheme. The first application to progress to the East West Rail Need to Sell Panel was accepted in September 2023. Once a Development Consent Order application has been submitted, individuals or businesses with a qualifying interest in property within the relevant area and meeting other statutory requirements, would be able to serve a blight notice on East West Rail Company as the scheme promoter, requesting purchase of their property. The Department for Transport and East West Rail Company will keep property acquisition schemes for the project under review.

High Speed 2 Line

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) projected end date is, (b) forecast spend in the financial year 2023-24 is, (c) initial planned whole life costs were and (d) delivery confidence assessment is of HS2 Phase 2b; and when each of those figures were last reviewed.

Huw Merriman: The Government set out schedule and cost updates for the HS2 Phase 2b Western Leg in its 6-monthly report on HS2 to Parliament in June. HS2 services between Crewe and Manchester are expected to begin between 2035 and 2041. The current cost estimate range for the Phase 2b Western Leg is £13bn-£19bn (2019 prices). HS2 Ltd plans to spend £172m (current prices) in 2023/24 on the Phase 2b Western Leg. The project’s latest Delivery Confidence Assessment in Q4 2022/23 was Amber. This is reviewed quarterly in line with requirements for the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio.

East West Rail Line: Noise

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to take steps to require that vibration and noise monitoring plans are shared with (a) affected residents and (b) elected representatives for feedback prior to their implementation by East West Rail.

Huw Merriman: East West Rail Company is currently gathering information to understand current noise and vibration levels across the preferred route and to identify potential impacts from planned works. Mitigations and ongoing monitoring measures will be outlined in a Noise and Vibration Management Plan. Local residents and elected representatives will be able to comment on this as part of a forthcoming statutory consultation and during the examination process once a Development Consent Order application has been submitted.

Air Passenger Duty

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of levying a higher rate of Air Passenger Duty on all private jet flights.

Jesse Norman: As a tax, Air Passenger Duty, is an HMT policy.

Department for Transport: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Jesse Norman: (a)The Department for Transport is enhancing its cybersecurity in line with the vision for a resilient public sector outlined in the Government Cyber Security Strategy: 2022-2030. A core pillar of that strategy has been the implementation of GovAssure, and its alignment to the NCSC’s Cyber Assessment Framework. The departments completion of the GovAssure assessment and its independent validation will surface any areas for targeted improvement. This is in addition to an ongoing programme of security improvement activities such as implementation of the recent HMG Mobile Device Management policy.  (b)The steps the department is taking to protect personal data are outlined in the published Personal Information Charter. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/personal-information-charter These include: Carrying out a Data Protection Impact Assessment where new technologies are introduced or there is a high risk to individuals’ rights and freedoms. Carrying out regular reviews and audits to ensure that the processing of personal data meets the government’s security standards and industry good practice. Only transferring personal data overseas where appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it. Training DfT staff on the importance of protecting personal data and providing additional role-based training where needed.

Department for Transport: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Jesse Norman: The Department closely reviews retention and turnover, monitoring the number of leavers, both to other Civil Service organisations, but also outside of the Civil Service. 12 Month Departmental Turnover rates for staff leaving the Department and respective Agencies as of March 2023 are outlined in the table below: Department/Agency12 Month Rolling Departmental Turnover Rate to March 2023*Active Travel England24%**Department for Transport Central15.8%Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency12.8%Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency14.3%Maritime and Coastguard Agency18.68%Vehicle Certification Agency13.6% *Turnover figures provided are rolling 12 Month departmental turnover figures, and include those who leave the Department/Agency over the 12 month period, whether to another Civil Service organisation, or leaving the Civil Service altogether.***The turnover figure reflects the in-year departure of seconded staff who helped to establish Active Travel England, and have been replaced by permanent appointments. To note, Active Travel England were only formed in August 2022* To improve staff retention, the Department has undertaken/is undertaking several proactive steps across the Central Department and Executive Agencies through retention plans including:Line Manager DevelopmentStrengthening Induction ProgrammesStrengthening Career Pathways, Learning and Development Offer and Talent ProgrammesMaximising and promoting our Reward offer including exploring Retention Allowances where appropriateFocusing on increasing Staff Engagement and promoting Diversity & Wellbeing,

Driverless Vehicles

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department’s latest plans are to support the rollout of autonomous vehicles.

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of (a) legal and (b) industry standards for emerging technologies for autonomous vehicles.

Jesse Norman: The Government paper “Connected & Automated Mobility 2025: realising the benefits of self-driving vehicles in the UK” sets out the Government’s plans to support the development and deployment of safe self-driving vehicles in the UK. This includes proposals for a comprehensive regulatory, legislative and safety framework. The Department remains committed to these plans will bring forward primary legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.Alongside developing legal and regulatory frameworks, the government has committed £100 million of new Research and Development funding following the Government’s Spending Review for the period 2022/23 to 2024/25, which is allocated to the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) through two Departments:£66 million in the Department for Business and Trade to support commercial deployment of connected and self-driving technologies.£34 million in the Department for Transport (DfT) for creation of a safety assurance framework for self-driving vehicles.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Office: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps they are taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in their office.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence, particularly from Parliamentarians. As per the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Handling Correspondence on gov.uk, departments and agencies should aim to respond to correspondence within a 20-working day target deadline. With regards to timeliness of responses to enquiries received by members, the Cabinet Office published data on this for 2022 for all government departments on GOV.UK in March 2023, and will be publishing data for Q1 and Q2 2023 shortly. The 2022 data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers-2022  The Northern Ireland Office make every effort to reply to correspondence promptly and within the original deadline. However, if the matters raised in the correspondence require substantial investigation, it might not be possible to provide a substantive reply to a case within the departmental deadline.

Northern Ireland Office: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,  what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department does not hold any specific information on response times to public inquiries but in responding to all public inquiry responses my department endeavours to ensure that it meets all deadlines set and responds in a timely manner.

Northern Ireland Office: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what data their Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Mr Steve Baker: The Government attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Written Parliamentary Questions.There are three types of Written Parliamentary Question. The Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work sets out the timelines departments should seek to meet.This can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1116933/2022-10-11_-_Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work___1_.pdfDepartmental performance on Written Parliamentary Questions is published at the end of each session by the Procedure Committee and is therefore publicly available.You can find details of the last session's PQ performance here:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmproced/385/report.htmlThis year's data will be published by the Procedure Committee when the session concludes.The Northern Ireland Office make every effort to reply to Written Parliamentary Questions within original deadlines by ensuring strict internal deadlines are in place, regular guidance is issued to all staff and monthly corporate reporting.

Northern Ireland Office: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Mr Steve Baker: My Department has made a number of provisions for individual staff to improve accessibility based on workplace passports. We also ensure our websites meet the latest guidelines for accessibility, however, it should be noted that my department is not a public-facing department that gathers large amounts of personal data from the general public.

Northern Ireland Office: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Mr Steve Baker: FOI response times are monitored centrally by the Cabinet Office and published quarterly on the Gov.uk website.Within the 2022-23 financial year, the percentage of requests answered within statutory deadlines did not fall below 85%, which we would assess as adequate.

Northern Ireland Office: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Mr Steve Baker: The Northern Ireland Office utilises a case tracking system to monitor the timeliness of FOI requests, tracking internal and external deadlines and issuing reminders on late cases where necessary. Furthermore, the department also offers training sessions to staff on the appropriate handling of information requests which emphasises the importance of responding within the time limits set by the FOI Act.

Northern Ireland Office: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Mr Steve Baker: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Northern Ireland Office. In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber-attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.

Northern Ireland Office: Disclosure of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the average response time to subject access requests was by their Department in the latest period for which data is available; and if they will make an assessment of the adequacy of that response time.

Mr Steve Baker: Within the 2022-23 financial year the percentage of subject access requests answered within statutory deadlines did not fall below 100%, which we would assess as satisfactory.

Department of Health and Social Services: Northern Ireland

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of funding for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland to help tackle waiting lists.

Mr Steve Baker: The Secretary of State and his officials engaged intensively with the Northern Ireland Civil Service to set the Northern Ireland Budget for the 2022-2023 and 2023-24 financial years. The Secretary of State has consistently prioritised funding for health, allocating £7.28 billion in 2022/23 to the Department of Health, representing an increase of £228m above 2021/22 spending which included significant COVID-19 funding, and £7.3 billion in 2024-2-25, an increase of £20 million above 2022/23. In the absence of an Executive, it is for each Northern Ireland department to manage its funding from within the allocated budget.Whilst the Secretary of State has taken action to ensure governance can continue, including through setting two Northern Ireland budgets, this position is not sustainable. The Secretary of State has used his powers in the Northern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) Act 2023 to commission advice from the Northern Ireland Civil Service on the options for budget sustainability including options to raise additional revenue which is needed to progress much needed and long-promised public service transformation. It remains the UK Government’s firm view that the right people to set a budget and make spending decisions are locally elected politicians in a fully functioning devolved administration.

Foreign Investment in UK: Northern Ireland

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which representatives of political parties in Northern Ireland the Government plans to invite to the Northern Ireland investment conference in September 2023.

Mr Steve Baker: Invitations were extended to the party leaders of each of the five main political parties: Alliance, DUP, SDLP, Sinn Fein and UUP. The invitation was extended to an additional member of each party for the Titanic welcome reception and ICC main summit, with the additional place allocated at parties’ discretion.

Gastrointestinal System

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many patients were admitted to hospital for (a) upper and (b) lower gastrointestinal haemorrhages in (i) Strangford constituency and (ii) Northern Ireland in each year since 2019.

Mr Steve Baker: The release of statistics in relation to hospital admissions in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health.

Women and Equalities

Public Lavatories: Incontinence

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has held with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the Government's response to the technical consultation on toilets; and what assessment she has made with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the potential merits of launching a consultation on the provision of incontinence bins in male toilets.

Stuart Andrew: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is carrying out a public consultation seeking views on toilet provision for men and women in buildings other than dwellings. The consultation will help us work towards policy goals covering amendments to building regulations and guidance, to ensure separate toilets for men and women continue to be provided; encouraging the provision of unisex toilets, where space allows; and making sure that where unisex toilets are provided, that privacy is ensured. The consultation is open now and closes on 8 October 2023. The consultation proposal recommends that toilet cubicles or rooms containing toilets should provide space for a sanitary disposal bin. I am supportive of this work and the Equality Hub continues to liaise with DLUHC on such issues.

UN Commission on the Status of Women: Young People

Dame Maria Miller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which Department is responsible for appointing the UK Youth Delegate to UN Commission on the Status of Women; what the process is for the appointment; and which Minister is responsible for this process.

Dame Maria Miller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Youth Delegate for the 68th UN Commission on the Status of Women will be announced.

Dame Maria Miller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many applications were received for the position of Youth Delegate for the UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2023.

Dame Maria Miller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which Commons Minister is responsible for the UK's participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

Maria Caulfield: The Minister for Women and Equalities has overall responsibility for the Government’s participation in the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), supported by ministers across government particularly those from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. For the first time, in 2023, the Government appointed a young person as a UN Women Youth Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women. This was a trial appointment and we are currently evaluating the success of this initiative. The priority theme for CSW68 is Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective. The Government will continue to promote gender equality internationally at CSW and elsewhere in line with the priorities set out in the International women and girls strategy 2023 to 2030 published in March.

Disability: Hotels

Paul Bristow: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that disabled people with assistance dogs are not discriminated against when using hotels.

Stuart Andrew: In common with all businesses offering services to the public, hotels are required not to discriminate against their disabled customers and must make reasonable adjustments, such as permitting guide dogs. This duty is “anticipatory”, meaning that hotels, for example, should expect a proportion of their guests to be sight impaired and make appropriate arrangements - for example setting aside a “dog friendly” room for such guests. The failure of a hotel to make a reasonable adjustment would be unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 and would open the hotel up to legal action by the guide dog owner or their representative. Before considering any legal action, a disabled person who may have been personally discriminated against because of a disability may contact The Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS), the government helpline established to provide free bespoke advice and in-depth support to individuals with discrimination concerns. The EASS can be contacted via their website - http://www.equalityadvisoryservice.com/, by telephone on 0808 8000082 or text phone on 0808 8000084. The EASS has the ability to intervene on an individual’s behalf with a service provider to help resolve an issue. The EASS can also advise people who wish to take their complaint further on their options.

Women: Young People

Bell Ribeiro-Addy: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department plans to take to support the Ministry of Justice on delivering the Young Women's Strategy.

Maria Caulfield: My Equality Hub officials and I work closely with the Ministry of Justice on a range of issues, including those relating to gender. We will continue to work with our colleagues at the Ministry as they work to bring together best practice and evidence about how to support young women, and provide the right services at every stage of their journey through the criminal justice system.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Continuity Fund (UK Sport).

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for UK Sport’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on Olympic and Paralympic sports in the UK, including the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The Continuity fund was set up by UK Sport specifically to help mitigate the adverse impact of Covid-19 on the operational and financial health of NGBs, and to help in navigating a significantly different operating environment. It was essential to ensuring that British sports and athletes arrived at the disrupted Tokyo 2020 Games in the best position possible and helped ensure that Great Britain and Northern Ireland won 64 medals at the Olympics and 124 medals at the Paralympics.

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - UK Sport - International Relations Grant.

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for UK Sport’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.UK Sport works with National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and other partners to help them build strong and positive relationships with their international and continental federations and other national and international sporting bodies. Having a strong voice within these organisations is essential to ensure that NGBs can engage effectively with the international sporting community and key decision-makers, whilst also contributing to the development and governance of their sport at the international level.To do this, UK Sport supports and invests in bespoke long-term international relations strategies for those sports that receive UK Sport World Class Programme (WCP) or Progression funding; or have an agreed Major Events hosting target. UK Sport may also provide limited International Relations investment to sports receiving National Squad Support Funding (NSSF). This investment is crucial to ensuring that the UK remains a world-leading, influential player on the world stage.

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - UK Sport- Aspiration Fund.

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for UK Sport’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The Aspiration Fund aims to support sports who do not currently receive full UK Sport World Class Programme funding to develop plans to help teams and athletes realise ambitions at future Olympic and Paralympic Games. This fund is central to delivering on UK Sport’s ambition of powering a broader, more diverse range of champions in a wider variety of Olympic and Paralympic sports.

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - UK Sport- World Class Programme Funding.

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for UK Sport’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.UK Sport World Class Programme funding supports the delivery of success at the world's most significant sporting events. It invests in world leading coaching, medical support and training facilities so that British athletes with potential to succeed on the world stage can arrive at an Olympic and Paralympic Games as one of the best prepared teams in the world. This funding helped to ensure that at the Tokyo 2020 Games, Great Britain and Northern Ireland won 64 medals at the Olympics and 124 medals at the Paralympics.

Coronavirus: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Big Night In Fund.

Stuart Andrew: The department sets objectives for grant funding when designing the grant scheme and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department also conducts post-event assurance and evaluation of the outcomes achieved. The evaluation for the Big Night Infund can be accessed here. This grant was evaluated as part of the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise COVID-19 Emergency Funding Package.

International Game Technology: Slavery

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling Commission made an assessment of the implications of its policies in 2017 when International Game Technology reported that 27% of its suppliers had a high or medium exposure to modern slavery.

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Gambling Commission made an assessment for the implication of its policies in 2017 when International Game Technology (IGT) reported that 27% of its suppliers had a high or medium exposure to modern slavery.

Stuart Andrew: The Commission does not have a specific responsibility in relation to scrutinising subcontractors of the National Lottery Operator, and as such, was not previously aware of IGT’s report.The National Lottery is run by Camelot under licence by the Gambling Commission, and as such it is for the operator to ensure compliance with a range of reporting requirements, including under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.The Section 5 National Lottery Licence requires the Operator to comply with all relevant laws to the extent they impose obligations or restrictions on it. It also requires any subcontractors to operate with due propriety.

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Sport England-Core Market Fund.

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for Sport England’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The ‘Core Market Fund’ has been used to categorise several Sport England funding streams and investment categories that Sport England have delivered on. As a result, we have identified investment and funding streams within this category that best reflect the impact of said category: namely, the Sport Survival Package.The Sport Survival Package (SSP) was a time limited government response programme addressing the impact of spectator restrictions on sport organisations during the covid pandemic. The programme operated until March 2022, but the majority of funding was distributed in the period Dec 2020 – March 2021. Over 1400 grant awards were made totalling over £60.7 million. Alongside grant funding, the SSP distributed over £218 million loan funding into the sector to commercial sport organisations. The evaluation for the Sport Survival Package will be published in due course.

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Sport England-Facilities Fund.

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for Sport England’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The ‘Facilities Fund’ has been used to categorise several Sport England funding streams and investment categories that Sport England have delivered on. As a result, we have identified investment and funding streams within this category that best reflect the impact of said category: namely, the National Leisure Recovery Fund.Between January and March 2021, the NLRF was successfully administered by Sport England alongside DCMS and MHCLG (as was) providing much needed support to 266 Local Authorities with facilities able to re-open from 12 April 2021 and all Covid-19 restrictions lifted from 19 July 2021.

Sports: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Sport England-Children and Young People Fund.

Stuart Andrew: The department agrees objectives and KPIs for Sport England’s grant funding and their board allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The ‘Children and Young People Fund’ has been used to categorise several Sport England funding streams and investment categories that Sport England have delivered on. As a result, we have identified investment and funding streams within this category that best reflect the impact of said category: the School Games programme and the Opening School Facilities fund. School Games OrganisersSince the programme started, investment into SGOs totals £134,766,000 – across the period September 2011 to 31 March 2024. Since 2017/18 13,439,699 participation opportunities have been created. 19,483 schools are registered and engaged in the School Games. This equates to 75% of all primary schools nationally and 82% of all secondary schools nationally. 38,105 teachers have engaged since the School Games website was refreshed in 2017.The 2021 evaluation for the School Games programme can be accessed in section 3 of the webpage on Sport England’s children and young people research here. Opening School FacilitiesIn March 2021, Sport England received £10.1 million on behalf of the Department of Education (DfE) which was distributed across all 43 Active Partnerships to Open School Facilities.Phase 2 work was to be targeted at those who have experienced the greatest negative impact on physical activity levels due to Covid-19, by working with schools with high levels of pupils eligible for free school meals. 1,406 schools benefited, with 284,183 children and young beneficiaries and just over 100,000 community users (including children and young people) in the short period of delivery, with many more to benefit in the 2021-22 academic year and beyond. 78% of schools focused on pupils eligible for Free School Meals, 60% on pupils with special educational needs or inclusion, 52% targeted girls and 28% focused on children and young people from culturally diverse communities.

Charity Commission: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Charity Commission have previous experience in the industry that they regulate.

Stuart Andrew: The Charity Commission does not hold information on how many employees have experience in the charity sector.Schedule 1 to the Charities Act 2011 states that the Board of the Charity Commission must collectively have knowledge and experience of charity law, charity accounts and finances, and the operation and regulation of charities. Biographies of the current board members are available on Gov.uk.As part of the fair and open process to recruit board members, candidates are assessed on their experience in different sectors, their commitment to the charity sector, and their understanding of the Charity Commission’s work and the importance of effective, independent, proportionate, and impartial regulation.

Water Sports: Safety

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to require retailers to sell (a) leashes, (b) personal flotation devices and (c) other essential safety equipment alongside paddleboards and kayaks.

Stuart Andrew: The government does not provide advice to retailers on how to display products.National Governing Bodies (NGBs) are responsible for the regulation of their sports and for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. They have a responsibility to make the safety and welfare of participants their top priority, including through access to relevant safety equipment, training and education. Both British Canoeing and Surfing England provide safety advice to participants as do organisations such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Gambling: Taxation

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of implementing the statutory gambling operator levy as a smart levy.

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department plans to take to assess the impact of the statutory gambling operator levy on the land-based gambling industry.

Stuart Andrew: The government’s recent white paper set out a range of proportionate measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. This includes a statutory levy on operators that will help fund research, education and treatment for those struggling with gambling addiction.We will shortly consult on the details of how the levy will be designed, including proposals on the total amount to be raised by the levy and how it will be constructed, ensuring that a rate is fair and proportionate for different gambling sectors, including the land-based gambling industry. This approach will account for the varying association of different sectors with harm and their financial position.

Sports: Scotland

John McNally: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the funding awarded to the Scottish Football Association through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, what guidance was issued to the Scottish Football Association on how the multisport portion of the funding should be used; how much and what proportion of the funding is expected to be spent exclusively on sports unrelated to football; and whether there are any other stipulations on the type of sports that can be supported through the programme.

Stuart Andrew: Decisions on the allocation of funds under the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme are devolved to relevant sporting bodies in respective parts of the UK, as they have appropriate expertise and understanding of local provision. Sport Scotland provides advice and guidance alongside the Scottish FA through the project selection process. Details on the Scottish FA’s approach are published here.However, multi-sport benefit is a key pillar of the grassroots facilities programme and we stipulate that at least 40% of projects must benefit at least one other sport in addition to football, on a sustained and regular basis. There is no requirement for particular sports to be prioritised as part of this objective, and multi-sport plans are led by local need.Projects are selected for a variety of reasons - some for their ability to deliver improved facilities in deprived areas, others may support multi-sport use, and/or increase participation among currently under-represented groups — such as women and girls or disabled players.

Commonwealth Games: Australia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to encourage UK regions to bid to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games; and if she will make a statement on Victoria withdrawing as the host of the games.

Stuart Andrew: The announcement by the Victorian Government was disappointing for fans and athletes. The government is keen that the Commonwealth Games Federation and Commonwealth Games Australia will now work together to find a viable solution to hosting the event in 2026 so that athletes have the chance to compete and fans have the opportunity to enjoy this incredible event.The UK is proud to have hosted the Games twice in the past decade, including in Birmingham last year: coming in under budget and adding at least £870 million GVA to the UK economy. We are committed to working with the CGF and Commonwealth countries to support a sustainable future for the Games.

Swimming Pools: Closures

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many local authority swimming pools have closed in last 10 years.

Stuart Andrew: The government recognises the importance of ensuring public access to swimming pools, as swimming is a great way for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy. The responsibility of providing this access lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to support swimming facilities.At the Spring Budget, the government announced a package of over £60 million to support swimming pools, which is targeted at addressing cost pressures facing public swimming pool providers. It will also help provide investment in energy efficiency measures to reduce future operating costs and make facilities sustainable in the long-term.Between September 2013 and September 2023, 294 swimming pools closed (across 162 sites owned by Local Authorities). Over a similar period from 2014 to 2023, 256 swimming pools were built by Local Authorities (across 144 sites). Facilities can close for a number of reasons, including being replaced by a new site or to align with the strategic objectives of the local authority.

Tourism: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - British Tourist Authority t/a VisitEngland - COVID-19 Destination Management Resilience Scheme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - British Tourist Authority t/a VisitEngland - Discover England Fund Year 5 2020/21.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - British Tourist Authority t/a VisitEngland - COVID-19 Destination Management Organisations' Emergency Financial Assistance Fund 2020/21.

Sir John Whittingdale: The department sets objectives for grant funding when designing the grant scheme and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department also conducts post-event assurance and evaluation of the outcomes achieved. The evaluation for the Discover England Fund Year 5; the Destination Management Resilience Scheme (DMRS) and the Emergency Financial Assistance Fund (EFAF) is attached.

Cultural Heritage: Grants

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to review the level of grant-in-aid for heritage institutions, in the context of rises in inflation.

Sir John Whittingdale: The UK’s heritage institutions play a vital part in our nation's rich history and cultural life.Just as we supported it through the challenges of the pandemic, HM Government has made support available to mitigate increasing costs for the whole heritage sector, not just those bodies which receive grant-in-aid. The Energy Bills Discount Scheme was implemented from 1 April 2023, a key component of which is the higher level of support being provided to energy and trade-intensive industries. Heritage was recognised as one of these industries and therefore receives a higher level of discount on energy volumes and will be subject to the maximum discount for gas and electricity bills.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to work with its arm’s-length bodies and other Government Departments to support the sector’s resilience – and to deliver the Government’s promise to halve inflation this year to ease the cost of living and give people financial security.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2023 to Question 187962 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Taiwan, if she will identify which minister represented her Department for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021, (e) 2022 and (f) 2023; and if she will identify the (i) job title and (ii) grade of the most senior official who represented her Department when a minister was not present for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (A) 2018, (B) 2019, (C) 2020, (D) 2021, (E) 2022 and (F) 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: From 2018 to 2022 there has been no Ministerial led discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration.The Department did have official level meetings with representatives of the Taiwanese administration during this period, in line with our longstanding policy on Taiwan.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Secretary of State and her whole Ministerial team regularly visit towns and cities all across the country, championing them and the impact of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s policies in-personWe will keep this invitation in mind in the future.

Museums and Galleries: Workplace Pensions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent estimate of the potential impact of changes to the superannuation contributions adjusted for past experience (SCAPE) discount rate on costs for arms-length museums and galleries that are listed in Schedule 1 to the Superannuation Act 1972; whether those heritage institutions will receive funding to meet any shortfall; if she will make it her policy to introduce financial mechanisms to help heritage institutions manage additional costs in the long-term; and if she will make a statement.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has not centrally made any recent estimates of the impact of changes to the superannuation contributions adjusted for past experience (SCAPE) discount rate on costs for national museums and galleries.In prior spending review periods and to this point DCMS has supported its arm’s-length museums and galleries captured through the Superannuation Act 1972 with additional funding to assist with increased pension costs.DCMS has already committed to provide additional financial support to assist with pension pressures in 2023-24 to the national museums and galleries listed in the Act and will be working with our ALBs to set prudent budgets for the financial year 24-25 in due course.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has created a Product and Experience team within its Digital, Data and Technology Directorate to ensure new digital services comply with government standards set out by the Cabinet Office Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO).Work is underway to improve digital services DCMS is responsible for, prioritising significantly improved accessibility and user experience.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport,  what steps her Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Sir John Whittingdale: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.DCMS has in 2022 established a new Cyber Security Group (DCMS-Cyber), a function comprising a diverse range of security and digital specialists. These specialists are working together to deliver a unified, coordinated cyber security capability.DCMS in 2023 developed a cyber security strategy, which is envisioned to deliver enhanced cyber security services that safeguard and manage continued cyber security threats.DCMS-Cyber has 5 strategic objectives, which are to:Understand and articulate the cyber threat.Identify, respond to and mitigate these threats.Identify, manage and assure cyber risks.Drive cyber security best-practice.Build secure by design building on cross-government standards and principles.DCMS-Cyber is working as part of the wider cross-government security community, to deliver a suite of proactive and intelligence-led cyber security programs.Additionally, DCMS follows guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s Office on the correct and safe handling of personal data, employing such measures as having DCMS policies, guidance and training in place.

Historic England: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Historic England-Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund Resilience Grants.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Historic England-Heritage Stimulus Fund Grants for Programmes of Major Works-f/y 20/21.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. Depending on the scale of the funding, the department also conducts post-event assurance and evaluation of the outcomes achieved. The evaluation for the Grants for Programmes of Major Works and COVID-19 Emergency Response Resilience Fund was conducted by Historic England as part of the Heritage Stimulus Fund evaluation, and can be accessed here.

Railways: Cultural Heritage

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to (a) support and (b) protect heritage railways.

Sir John Whittingdale: The United Kingdom is a true pioneer in the history of railway development, benefiting from the talents of Brunel and Stephenson among many others.Heritage railways are major contributors to the UK’s visitor economy, attracting around 13 million visitors and bringing an estimated £250 million to the economy each year. More than 3,000 people are employed on heritage railways, with a further 22,000 volunteers generously committing their time and expertise.The unprecedented Cultural Recovery Fund provided approximately £18 million to heritage railway-related organisations during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping them to reopen safely and continue to welcome visitors. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is also currently undertaking the Local Visitor Economy Partnership accreditation process which will benefit heritage railways by ensuring that local tourist boards work together to boost the visitor economy across the country.HM Government is engaged in positive discussions with Network Rail and the Heritage Rail Association to discuss their plans for the Rail 200 bicentenary celebrations, to ensure that the historic birth of the UK’s first passenger railway can be properly celebrated. DCMS’s arms-length bodies Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund are also investing in projects that will support the bicentenary.Specific elements of heritage railway infrastructure are protected through the designation process. For example, signal boxes, stations, bridges can all be listed, and specific embankments, cuttings and so on can be scheduled under heritage protection legislation. In general, entire railways are not designated.

Culture: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - Historic England - Taylor-Review-Pilot-Minor-Repairs-Grant.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. Depending on the scale of the funding, the department also conducts post-event assurance and evaluation of the outcomes achieved. The evaluation for the Taylor Review Pilot has been finalised and the evaluation report can be found here.

National Heritage Memorial Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - National Heritage Memorial Fund - Heritage Capital Kickstart Fund 2020-21.

Sir John Whittingdale: The department sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department also conducts post-event assurance and evaluation of the outcomes achieved.The evaluation for the Heritage Capital Kickstart Fund can be accessed here. Copies of the evaluation and associated documentation were also placed in the libraries of both Houses. This investment was evaluated as part of the Culture Recovery Fund.

Culture: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Historic England-Cultural Recovery Fund-Business Grants-fy/20/21.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing the grant scheme and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. Depending on the scale of the funding, the department also conducts post-event assurance and evaluation of the outcomes achieved. The evaluation for the Cultural Recovery Fund can be accessed here.

Cultural Heritage: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Heritage Policy 2021 Grant.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The Heritage Policy 2021 Grant covers three grants we provide to heritage organisations: Marlborough House, Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust, and the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. Each of these grants is provided for various reasons, including but not limited to supporting essential maintenance and repairs works across the sites.

National Heritage Memorial Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - National Heritage Memorial Fund - National Heritage Memorial Fund 2019-20.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding in line with the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.This funding refers to grants awarded by the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) during 2019–20 in line with its purpose as a UK funder of last resort. NHMF grant awards are made to safeguard nationally important heritage which is at risk. All grant awards are made under an in-perpetuity grant contract which sets out requirements for long-term care, conservation, and public access to the heritage asset supported. NHMF grant contracts ensure the long-term future of nationally important heritage assets. Where contract compliance is not achieved in individual cases, NHMF works with grantees to ensure this is addressed.

Jodrell Bank Observatory: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published 31 on March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Jodrell Bank First Light 2021 Fund.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding with regard to the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributed match-funding to the value of £1.5 million towards the National Lottery Heritage Fund-supported First Light Projects for enhanced visitor experience, focusing on the heritage of the site.The National Lottery Heritage Fund is monitoring the delivery of the Jodrell Bank First Light 2021 project. The capital project finished and opened in May 2022 and the team is now delivering the activity part of the project, the archives action plan, and securing evaluation consultants.

Churches: Monuments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to protect historic memorials in churches.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport supports the preservation of historical memorials in churches through financial assistance provided by the Department's Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and the Memorial Grant Scheme.The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme provides grants to cover the VAT expenses associated with repair and conservation of listed places of worship. This includes conservation efforts for monuments situated in listed places of worship. These grants apply when the monument is an integral part of the building's structure.The Memorial Grant Scheme provides financial assistance for VAT costs incurred by registered charities and for faith groups which are excepted from registering as charities. This scheme supports the creation, restoration, and ongoing maintenance of memorial structures, including those situated in places of worship.

Tickets: Touting

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to ban ticket touting.

Sir John Whittingdale: HM Government is committed to supporting fair and transparent ticket pricing and tackling unacceptable behaviour in this market.We have strengthened the law in relation to ticketing information requirements and have introduced a criminal offence of using automated software to buy more tickets online than is allowed. We also support the work of enforcement agencies in this area, such as the Competition and Markets Authority, National Trading Standards, and the advertising industry's own regulator the Advertising Standards Authority.We believe there is a role for a responsible secondary ticketing market, and ultimately, ticket pricing strategies are a matter for event organisers and ticketing platforms, providing they comply with relevant legislation, particularly regarding transparency to customers on how tickets are priced, in order to help consumers make a fair and informed decision.Policy on secondary ticketing is jointly owned within Government by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for Business & Trade (DBT). DBT has lead responsibility for policy on consumer protection and its enforcement, in partnership with National Trading Standards and the Competition and Markets Authority, whilst DCMS leads on the specific area of secondary ticketing for DCMS-related events (sport, live music, theatre, etc.).Our joint overarching policy aim has been to address abuses in the ticketing market and improve consumers’ opportunities to buy tickets for recreational, sporting, and cultural events, whilst ensuring there are no unintentional consequences for the operations of the events sector and primary and secondary ticketing market.Our policy aims are delivered through a mixture of targeted legislation (primarily the Consumer Rights Act 2015), backed up by robust action by enforcement agencies, and encouraging industry-led approaches, largely through the exploitation of technological developments (e.g. use of blockchain and ‘ticketless tickets’ on mobiles). Our approach is underpinned by the findings of an independent review of consumer protection measures in the market, undertaken by Professor Michael Waterson, published in May 2016.Professor Waterson specifically considered the idea of banning the secondary ticketing market entirely. His conclusions, with which we agreed in our response to the review, are that:i) a ban would not lead to the absence of secondary ticketing, but would simply drive it underground/offshore, with implications for raised levels of fraud;ii) several primary operators have chosen to link up with secondary agencies suggesting their implicit approval of such activities;iii) a significant proportion of tickets on secondary sites are priced below face value, offering a useful service to consumers and allowing more people to attend the event.

Writers

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent meetings her Department has had with (a) authors, (b) scriptwriters and (c) playwright organisations in the last 12 months.

Sir John Whittingdale: Arts Council England, as national development agency for creativity and culture, engages with a range of organisations on a broad range of artforms, including in the theatre and literature sectors.Officials at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have, in the last 12 months, attended roundtable meetings convened by Arts Council England where author organisations have been in attendance.Additionally, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, Minister for Arts and Heritage, delivered a speech for the Northern Writers’ Awards on Tuesday 22 June, an event supported by the organisation New Writing North. Lord Parkinson also attended and provided a speech at the London Book Fair on 18 April. He attended a reading and literacy themed roundtable run as part of Baroness Sanderson of Welton’s independent review for public libraries which was attended by a representative of the Society of Authors, and has had meetings and engagements with a range of poets, playwrights and authors in the course of his ministerial engagement.

Poetry: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Poetry Society - Poet Laureate 2021 Fund.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding with regard to the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.DCMS provides the Poetry Society with an annual grant to support the work of the Poet Laureate. This grant is paid in arrears and is up to £13,100 per annum (and can be increased by up to the rate of RPIX for each financial year). Five per cent of this grant is taken by the Poetry Society to cover the cost of hosting the role, including administration costs. The remaining 95 per cent goes to the individual nominated by the Poet Laureate to fulfil a part-time support role to assist with the large volume of public enquiries and administration. To ensure that this grant is used effectively to support the work of the Poet Laureate, the Poetry Society provides DCMS with regular updates on the activity of the support role.The Poetry Society is a National Portfolio Organisation and therefore also receives regular annual funding from Arts Council England. ACE monitors the outputs of all national portfolio organisations throughout the funding period to ensure they deliver their agreed plans and activity.

Culture: North of England

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund 2021.

Sir John Whittingdale: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport sets objectives for grant funding when designing grant schemes and allocates funding in accordance with those objectives. The department and its public bodies deliver all grant funding with regard to the Government Functional Standard GovS 015: Grants.The Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund was created to build a lasting legacy from the Great Exhibition of the North. In 2018, it was announced that three major cultural projects across the North of England would receive a share of the Northern Cultural Regeneration Fund, totalling over £11 million of public investment.Nearly £3.3 million has been invested to enhance the visitor experience at cultural attractions across the Lake District. This has supported (i) the development of the Windermere Jetty Museum, which houses a unique collection of over 40 historic lake boats and was shortlisted for the RIBA Stirling Prize; (ii) Dove Cottage, home to William Wordsworth for a decade, which has undergone restoration work; and (iii) Abbot Hall Museum, where essential works were carried out, and which reopened on 19 May 2023.A total of £4 million has been invested to help transform the vacant former Bradford Odeon cinema into a 3,800-capacity live music, entertainment and events venue, due to open in 2024.£4 million has been invested to support the creation of a new museum in Blackpool which will celebrate the town’s history as the UK’s first mass seaside holiday resort. ‘Showtown’ Blackpool is due to open in March 2024, with additional backing from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and notable philanthropic foundations.

Whisky: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has made a recent assessment of the contribution of the Scotch whisky industry to the tourism industry.

Sir John Whittingdale: The whisky industry is the UK’s largest single food and drink sector, accounting for 25% of the UK’s food and drink exports and 75% of Scottish food and drink exports, impacting 200 markets worldwide. The whisky sector generates £3.3 billion directly to the UK economy, and totals £5.5 billion when Gross Value Added (GVA) is added to the overall to UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Research by VisitScotland found that 20% of respondents stated they visited a whisky distillery on their holiday in Scotland, making it one of the top activities for overnight tourists on their trip to Scotland.Visits to whisky distilleries in Scotland have increased by two thirds since 2010, and over 1000 people are now directly employed in tourism roles which equates to 10% of the industry’s direct employment in Scotland.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy: Meters

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on how many households in each local authority have a SMETS1 smart electricity meter that has been adapted to operate in smart mode.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on how many households in each local authority have a SMETS1 smart electricity meter.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it remains his Department's policy to have all old generation SMETS1 smart meters operating in smart mode by the end of 2023.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it remains her Department's policy that all older generation SMETS1 smart meters should send information directly to suppliers so that customers can be billed automatically.

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent guidance her Department has issued to energy suppliers on upgrading older generation SMETS1 smart meters.

Amanda Solloway: All first generation SMETS1 meters should be operating in smart mode by the end of 2023, substantively as a result of energy suppliers enrolling these into the national communications infrastructure as required under their Licence Conditions. Ofgem is responsible for regulating energy suppliers against their enrolment obligations.Enrolment into the national communications infrastructure enables automatic billing, but also allows SMETS1 consumers to get the best deal by switching without losing smart services.The Department does not hold data on the number of SMETS1 meters by Local Authority.

Energy and Heating: Buildings

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much was spent from the public purse on (a) energy efficiency and (b) clean heat in buildings in (i) 2021-22 and (ii) 2022-23; and what funding has been allocated for (A) energy efficiency and (B) clean heat in buildings in (1) 2023-24 and (2) 2024-25.

Graham Stuart: £1.366 billion was spent on energy efficiency and clean heat in buildings in 2021-22. Figures for 2022-23 have not yet been finalised. £1.247 billion has been allocated in 2023/24 and £1.469 billion for 2024/25 for energy efficiency and clean heat in buildings.

Housing: Energy

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the average cost for retrofitting a single house under the Whole House Retrofit and the Social Housing decarbonisation Fund (a) as budgeted for in the original awarding of the grants and (b) in completed projects.

Graham Stuart: The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) Demonstrator builds on the Whole House Retrofit programme to test innovative approaches to retrofitting at scale. SHDF awarded around £179m of Government funding under Wave 1 to improve the energy performance of up to 20,000 social homes, and £778 million of Government funding to see proposed energy performance improvements to around 90,000 social homes under Wave 2.1. SHDF cost cap policy shows the maximum grant funding permitted for capital costs for retrofit works by starting characteristic of homes, based on the average cost per home. It is available in Section 2.10.2 of the Wave 1 guidance (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1016303/shdf-wave-1-competition-guidance.pdf) and Section 2.11 of the Wave 2.1 guidance (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1114571/shdf-wave-2.1-competition-guidance.pdf).

Energy: Conservation

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to increase the (a) resources, (b) capacity and (c) skills development for local authorities to (i) enforce and (ii) report on Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard levels.

Graham Stuart: Between 2018 and 2023, the Government ran a series of compliance and enforcement pilots and competitions to support local authorities in enforcing the domestic private rented sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations. 104 local authorities took part with £8.4m provided to help them carry out effective compliance assurance and enforcement of the MEES regulations in their area. The Government consulted in 2020 on proposals to improve the energy performance of privately rented homes. The consultation included proposals to encourage compliance with MEES Regulations and strengthen the enforcement regime. A summary of responses to this consultation will be published by the end of this year.

Local Government: Climate Change

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of existing net-zero grants that are available for local authorities to apply for; and whether she has received representations from local authorities that have been unsuccessful in the bidding process.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the application process for net-zero grants are accessible to local authorities with limited (a) resources and (b) capacity.

Graham Stuart: The net zero funding available to local authorities does not only come from net zero grants, but depends on the decisions local authorities make themselves about how they use the funding available to them, which includes their core settlement, grant funding schemes, UK growth funding, and loans at preferential rates from the UK Infrastructure Bank. Through the Local Net Zero Hubs, the Government is supporting local authorities to attract commercial investment.

Leisure: Facilities

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing local authorities to apply to the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme on behalf of leisure facilities operated by third party providers.

Graham Stuart: If a local authority either owns the building where the leisure facilities are being operated, or they have a long-term lease arrangement, they meet the eligibility criteria and can therefore apply for Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she made of the effectiveness of the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Graham Stuart: The Department was created in February 2023 to transform Britain’s energy security and scale up affordable, clean, homegrown power. By March it had published ‘Powering up Britain’, the Government’s strategy to ensure the UK remains among the fastest decarbonising nations in the world, and announced the first £20 billion carbon capture projects for our industrial heartlands. The Department launched Great British Nuclear; scaled up Britain’s renewables; and expanded energy efficiency support. The Department’s Energy Bill will leverage private investment in clean technologies and open up almost half a million new green jobs by 2030.

Offshore Industry: Methane

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what research her Department has (a) conducted or (b) commissioned into methods for quantifying methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.

Graham Stuart: The Department commissioned a research project[1] to improve the completeness and accuracy of greenhouse gas emissions estimates, including methane, from key processes associated with the exploration and production of oil and gas in the UK. The project concluded in 2022 and resulted in significant improvements to the UK’s estimates of these emissions which are now reflected in the UK’s annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory[2]. [1] https://naei.beis.gov.uk/reports/reports?report_id=1115[2] https://naei.beis.gov.uk/

Solar Power: Derelict Land

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she plans to use available brownfield sites for future solar developments.

Graham Stuart: The Government encourages ground mounted solar installations mainly on brownfield, industrial and low and medium grade agricultural land as set out in the recent Powering Up Britain: Energy Security Plan.

Wind Power: China

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an estimate of what percentage of wind turbines installed in the UK were manufactured in China.

Graham Stuart: The Department does not routinely collect data on the source manufacturer of wind turbines installed in the UK. However, regular engagement with industry indicates that the majority of wind turbines, both onshore and offshore, are sourced from European manufacturers, such as Vestas or Siemens Gamesa.

Fossil Fuels: Carbon Emissions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2022 to Question 77366 on Fossil Fuels, if she will publish (a) the underlying assumptions that were used to set out the abatement scenarios for production emissions from oil and gas in the 2023 Carbon Budget Delivery Plan, (b) which oil and gas fields were included in the analysis, (c) how emissions from new fields were estimated and (d) whether any life extensions of fields were included; and if she will make a statement.

Graham Stuart: The abatement scenarios for production emissions from oil and gas in the 2023 Carbon Budget Delivery Plan came from the North Sea Transition Authority. More information can be found in their 2022 Emissions Monitoring Report, available here. Projected emissions for a small number of recent and new installations are based on operators’ emissions forecasts collected in the 2022 UKCS Stewardship Survey. Information about specific fields is commercially sensitive.

Energy Company Obligation: Wirral West

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many households in Wirral West constituency have received support from Energy Company Obligation schemes in each year that they have operated.

Graham Stuart: The number of households that have received Energy Company Obligation (ECO) measures in Wirral West constituency in each year since 2013 can be found in the table below: YearNumber of Households receiving ECO measures201361820141,27920153562016350201787201862201910420201542021284202265Jan – Jun 202312Source: Household Energy Efficiency Statistics, headline release August 2023 (underlying data)

Energy: Housing

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Citizens Advice report entitled Demand: Net Zero, published in May 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a national advice service to provide advice on home energy efficiency.

Graham Stuart: The Government is committed to improving customer advice regarding home energy efficiency. The current digital service was launched on GOV.UK in July 2022 and is titled ‘Find ways to save energy in your home’. The service provides tailored impartial advice and is supported by a national phoneline service which launched in March 2023. In autumn, enhancements of Government digital services will enable consumers to check whether they’re eligible for retrofit schemes such as the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS) and Home Upgrade Grant: Phase 2 (HUG2).

Energy: Housing

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Citizens Advice report entitled Demand: Net Zero, published in May 2023, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the upfront costs of home retrofitting for households.

Graham Stuart: The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings. In addition, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. The Government's ‘Help to Heat’ schemes ensure homes will be warmer and cheaper to heat. The schemes will deliver upgrades to over half a million homes in the coming years through the Government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Home Upgrade Grant Scheme and Energy Company Obligation. The Government is also improving its consumer advice and guidance and mobilising the Green Finance Market.

Energy: Housing

Margaret Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Citizens Advice report entitled Demand: Net Zero, published in May 2023, what steps her Department plans to take to incentivise (a) homeowners and (b) other housing tenures to improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

Graham Stuart: The Government is investing £6.6 billion over this Parliament on clean heat and improving energy efficiency in buildings which will benefit homeowners and other housing tenures. In addition, £6 billion of new Government funding will be made available from 2025 to 2028. Catalysing the market for Green Finance is a priority to help support homeowners with the upfront costs of improvement. In 2022, the Government launched a home retrofit tool on gov.uk to provide tailored recommendations to households for home improvements.

Geothermal Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to encourage domestic production of geothermal power.

Graham Stuart: Geothermal technologies that generate electricity are eligible for the Contracts for Difference scheme, which is the Government’s main mechanism for supporting low carbon electricity generation. The Department is updating its evidence base for geothermal power and is considering additional steps to encourage domestic production.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Iceland

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she and her predecessor have held (a) meetings and (b) discussions with their Icelandic counterparts in the last 12 months.

Graham Stuart: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and her predecessor have not held meetings or discussions with their Icelandic counterparts in the last 12 months.

Geothermal Power

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the volume of geothermal power produced in the UK.

Graham Stuart: The recently published ‘case for deep geothermal’ white paper commissioned by the Department and the North East Local Enterprise Partnership draws on British Geological Survey data to identify areas suitable for geothermal power. The Department will develop its knowledge through a substantial research project aimed at updating its geothermal evidence base and creating a data platform to support geothermal deployment.

Energy Company Obligation: Applications

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many applications for ECO4 Flexible Route 4 have been approved by Ofgem by local authority.

Graham Stuart: Applications under Route 4: Bespoke Targeting are not approved by Ofgem, but instead reviewed and approved by a panel at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. To date, there have been no applications approved under this route.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much funding the Government has allocated through grant funding schemes for local authorities to implement net zero projects in the last year.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what (a) funding schemes and (b) initiatives are available to local authorities to support net zero initiatives.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has put in place (a) performance targets and (b) other accountability measures to help ensure the effective utilisation of funding provided to local authorities for net zero projects.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what mechanisms she has to monitor the (a) progress and (b) impact of net zero projects that are funded by her Department and implemented by local authorities.

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of funding allocated to local authorities for net zero projects.

Graham Stuart: It is not possible to provide a figure for the total amount of net zero grant funding available to local authorities because this depends on the decisions local authorities make themselves about how they use the funding available to them. Through their core settlement, grant funding schemes, and UK growth funding, Government provides a wide range of funding to support local authorities to tackle net zero goals. The Government has established the UK Infrastructure Bank with an initial £12 billion of capital. One of the bank’s core objectives is to support regional and local economic growth. This includes a lending facility of £4 billion for local authorities at preferential rates. Individual Government grant funding schemes each have their own monitoring and evaluation processes.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure equitable distribution of funding among local authorities to support their net zero initiatives.

Graham Stuart: There is a diverse range of grant funding schemes provided by HM Government to support local net zero delivery. This includes the core local government settlement from which all local authorities receive funding as well as grant programmes with competitions for funding into which local authorities can bid. Alongside funding opportunities, the Department provides further support to local authorities to deliver net zero, which is outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan.

Carbon Emissions: Civil Service Agencies and Local Government

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on emissions reductions across (a) local authorities and (b) government agencies.

Graham Stuart: The UK local and regional greenhouse gas emissions national statistics, 2005 to 2021 set out emissions data at the local authority level. The Greening Government Commitments (GGCs) set out actions to reduce the environmental impact of the Government’s estate and operations, which includes mitigating climate change. In financial year 2020/21, the government reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 57% from the baseline year of 2009/10, exceeding the 43% target. This follows a 50% reduction from the baseline year in financial year 2019/20. For financial year 2020/21, it is estimated that this reduction in energy use represented a saving of £182 million, had energy consumption remained at the same level as the baseline year.

District Heating: Supply Chains

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help develop supply chains to meet the heat network development objectives set out in the Energy Bill.

Graham Stuart: The Department is working with industry and local authorities through the Heat Networks Delivery Unit to build a pipeline of Heat Network projects and is investing £500m in funds and programmes in the heat network sector through the Heat Network Transformation Programme. The £288 million Green Heat Network Fund, launched in March 2022, requires applicants to show what actions they can take as part of their projects to enable growth within the supply chain that will provide lasting benefit to the wider market. Through the £5 million Heat Training Grant the Government is further improving the skills and understanding of people working across the heat network sector.

District Heating

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps with heat network businesses to increase skills in local government for heat network zoning.

Graham Stuart: Zoning will transform the development of district heat networks in towns and cities across England, aiming to increase private sector investment in the sector significantly. The government is working with industry and local authorities – investing half a billion pounds in funds and programmes – to build the heat network pipeline and prepare for implementation of regulation and heat network zoning. A joint project has just commenced with the Danish government and agencies to provide mentoring support to more local authorities. Heat networks have also been included in the £5 million Heat Training Grant to build capability in the sector. The Government will consider further proposals for how to ready local authorities for this responsibility as part of the consultation on heat network zoning planned for this Autumn.

Energy: Housing

Wera Hobhouse: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on the number of businesses certified to perform home retrofits in each of the last five years.

Graham Stuart: As of 4 July 2023, there were 2,082 businesses registered with TrustMark that met the requirements to take part in Government retrofit schemes. This has increased from around 455 in summer 2020. There will be a higher number of businesses operating in the wider market.

Heat Pumps: Housing

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the proportion of households with heat pumps installed (a) as of 4 September 2023, (b) in July 2013 and (c) in July 2011.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not hold comprehensive information on the total number of households with a heat pump installed. However, since 2007, heat pumps installed under Government grants have been recorded on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Installations Database, which shows the number of recorded heat pumps installed across the UK as:• 9,057 in July 2011 (approximately 0.03% of total households).• 29,810 in July 2013 (approximately 0.11% of total households).• 200,422 in July 2023 (approximately 0.71% of total households). The database does not include all heat pump installations. For example, heat pumps installed without Government funding support, such as in new buildings, are not typically recorded in the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Installations Database.

Solar Power: Housing

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the proportion of households with solar P-V panels installed (a) as of 4 September 2023, (b) in July 2013 and (c) in July 2011.

Graham Stuart: The number of solar PV schemes installed in households at the end of July 2023 accounted for around 4.3 percent of all UK households. In July 2013, domestic solar installations accounted for 1.7 percent of all UK households. In July 2011, domestic solar installations accounted for 0.3 percent of all UK households.

Solar Power: Housing

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the proportion of UK household with solar thermal panels installed (a) as of 4 September 2023, (b) in July 2013 and (c) in July 2011.

Graham Stuart: The Government does not hold comprehensive information on the number of households with solar thermal panels installed. However, solar thermal systems installed under Government grants have been recorded on the Microgeneration Certification Scheme Database (MID). The number of solar thermal installations recorded in the MID is:2,924 in July 2011 (approximately 0.01% of total households).7,589 in July 2013 (approximately 0.03% of total households).20,714 in July 2023 (approximately 0.07% of total households). The MID does not include all solar thermal installations. For example, systems installed without Government funding support are not typically recorded in the MID.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of developing a net-zero local government framework for local authorities.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s approach to working with local authorities on net zero is set out in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan. The Government’s engagement forum with local government, the Local Net Zero Forum, has considered a framework for Local Authority net zero roles and responsibilities but this was not determined to be the best way forward.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on carbon emission outputs by local authorities.

Graham Stuart: The UK local and regional greenhouse gas emissions national statistics, 2005 to 2021, set out emissions data at the local authority level.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to ensure there is an equitable distribution of funding amongst local authorities to support their net-zero initiatives.

Graham Stuart: There is a diverse range of grant funding schemes provided by HM Government to support local net zero delivery. This includes the core local government settlement from which all local authorities receive funding as well as grant programmes with competitions for funding into which local authorities can bid. Alongside funding opportunities, the Department provides further support to local authorities to deliver net zero, which is outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan.

Carbon Emissions: Local Government

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many grants are available across Government to help local authorities finance net zero projects.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of grant schemes on net zero outcomes.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the total value is of grants available to local authorities to deliver net-zero projects that are administered by her Department.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will list all (a) funding schemes and (b) initiatives available for local authorities to help support their transition to net zero.

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of funding provided to local authorities to help them achieve net-zero.

Graham Stuart: It is not possible to provide a figure for the total amount of net zero grant funding available to local authorities because this depends on the decisions local authorities make themselves about how they use the funding available to them. Through their core settlement, grant funding schemes, and UK growth funding, Government provides a wide range of funding to support local authorities to tackle net zero goals. The Government has established the UK Infrastructure Bank with an initial £12 billion of capital. One of the bank’s core objectives is to support regional and local economic growth. This includes a lending facility of £4 billion for local authorities at preferential rates. Individual Government grant funding schemes each have their own monitoring and evaluation processes.

Solar Power: Planning Permission

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on speeding up the process of getting planning applications approved for solar farms.

Graham Stuart: Ministers regularly discuss planning reform with colleagues to enable a fair and efficient system of decision making for all energy infrastructure proposals, including solar. The Government is currently consulting on operational reforms to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime and will publish its response in due course.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to reduce backlogs of Member correspondence in her office.

Graham Stuart: For Q2 2023 81% of enquiries from Members of Parliament were answered by the department within 15 working days, exceeding the departmental performance standard.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of that response time.

Graham Stuart: The Government places great importance on the effective and timely handling of correspondence from MPs, either directly or on behalf of their constituents.Data on the timeliness of responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers for 2022 is published on GOV.UK here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers. Data for Q1 and Q2 2023 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Written Questions

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what data her Department holds on the average response time to written parliamentary questions in the last six months; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of that response time.

Graham Stuart: Over the last six months the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has responded to all Parliamentary Questions on time.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Graham Stuart: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by her Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Graham Stuart: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) reports its Freedom of Information (FOI) performance as part of the former Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) statistics. The most recent statistics, due to be published by the Cabinet Office on the 20th of September, show that BEIS achieved 91% timeliness for FOIs received in Q2 of 2023. DESNZ will publish its own FOI performance statistics for Q3, expected December 2023.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps her Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Graham Stuart: Services delivered by the Department must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. An accessibility subject matter expert provides guidance on best practice. The Digital team works in partnership with policy officials to ensure digital services adhere to user-centred design principles and accessibility standards set out by Cabinet Office, in the service manual and the technology code of practice. A service assessment takes place prior to the launch of a service so that any issues with adherence are identified along with an action plan and mitigations to optimise user experience.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by her Department in each of the last five years; and whether she plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Graham Stuart: The Department does not collate this information but aims to respond to relevant reports and recommendations arising from public inquiries promptly and constructively.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what information her Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps she is taking to improve staff retention.

Graham Stuart: As a newly formed Department, employee reports are being developed. Employee data on joiners and leavers exists, other measures including length of service will be developed over time. For the financial year 2023/24, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has had c.360 joiners and c.180 leavers (payroll staff only). The Department is developing a workforce strategy and utilising a range of tools to support attraction and retention. This includes work to build a strong learning and development provision, to establish the Department’s core values and to develop our wider employee offer.

Fuel Oil

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to help people who use oil to heat their homes to transition to low carbon heating systems.

Graham Stuart: Decarbonising off-grid properties, including households that rely on heating oil, is a priority for the Government. The Government is providing support through schemes such as the £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme and the £950 million Home Upgrade Grant. Low carbon heating measures can be costly to install and unaffordable for many low-income families. The Home Upgrade Grant will support these families to transition to low carbon heating and prepare for a low carbon future. The Government is also improving its consumer advice and guidance and mobilising the Green Finance Market.

Solar Power: China

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an estimate of what percentage of solar panels installed in the UK were manufactured in China.

Graham Stuart: The Department does not hold information on the percentage of solar panels installed in the UK that were manufactured in China.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Graham Stuart: Ministerial visits play an important role in communicating the work of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and understanding how Government policies affect the lives of everyone up and down the country. Decisions on future visits will be taken in due course, and in line with Government and departmental priorities.

Members: Correspondence

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to respond to email correspondence of 2 June 2023 from the hon. Member for Sefton Central on subsidies for oil, coal and gas.

Graham Stuart: The Department responded to the hon. Member on 6 September.

Energy Entrepreneurs Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund.

Graham Stuart: The last evaluation of the effectiveness of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund was published on the 23rd of March this year and can be downloaded here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-entrepreneurs-fund-phases-1-7-final-evaluation

Climate Change: Development Aid

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions scheme.

Graham Stuart: An independent external evaluation of UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT), which includes an assessment of the programme’s effectiveness for the period 2020-21, was carried out and the summary report is available on DevTracker. The Government also prepares annual reviews for all international climate finance programmes. The 2020-21 UK PACT Annual Review rated the programme as “A+”, indicating it exceeded expectations over the reporting period. The report is available on DevTracker.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Main Fund.

Graham Stuart: Information on the Social Housing Decarbonisation Main Fund (SHDF) is published as statistics on GOV.UK, here. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has commissioned IFF Research, in partnership with Technopolis, Building Research Establishment and University College London, to conduct process, outcome and economic evaluations of Wave 1 and Wave 2.1 of the SHDF. The evaluations will complete in 2026; the first interim evaluation report will be published in 2024. Findings from evaluation research into the effectiveness of the management and delivery processes of the SHDF Demonstrator competition can be found here. The Government will publish a final outcome and economic evaluation of the SHDF Demonstrator in due course.

Ofgem: Staff

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has had discussions with Ofgem on reported instances of conflicts of interest between June 2021 and April 2023.

Amanda Solloway: No discussions have taken place. However, Ofgem Directors and Director Generals are employed as Civil Servants and, as such, are expected to abide by the Civil Service Code. It is expected that Ofgem staff will have declared any potential conflicts to the relevant senior manager in Ofgem, as set out under Ofgem’s Conflict of Interest Policy, which can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2013/03/conflicts-of-interest-at-ofgem.pdf

Fuels: Prices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions she has had with fuel retailers on ensuring that consumer fuel costs reflect falls in wholesale prices.

Amanda Solloway: The former Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero met with fuel retailers in July 2023 to discuss the findings from the Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) market study and to strongly encourage their participation in the voluntary scheme the CMA has implemented. The voluntary scheme enables retailers share their up-to-date fuel prices daily until the government puts the CMA recommended road fuel prices open data scheme and monitoring function on statutory footings. We will consult on these changes this autumn. My officials continue to meet with fuel retailers in developing the consultation and I encourage their full engagement in the process.

Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using green home support measures to address fuel poverty in off-grid homes.

Amanda Solloway: The £2.5bn Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) delivers support to households in fuel poverty living off gas grid in England. Eligible measures are tailored to individual homes ensuring the most appropriate energy efficiency measures are installed. Phase 2 of HUG awarded £630 million to local authorities and delivery began in April 2023. The Energy Company Obligation (ECO) also targets low income households, including those in rural areas and in England is intended to complement HUG. As homes in rural and off gas areas are likely to be more expensive to upgrade, an incentivised uplift for Scotland and Wales was introduced under the latest phase of ECO.

Ofgem: Staff

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of guidance on potential conflicts of interest for senior staff at Ofgem.

Amanda Solloway: No discussion or assessments have been made. However, Ofgem Directors and Director Generals are employed as Civil Servants and, as such, are expected to abide by the Civil Service Code. It is expected that Ofgem staff will have declared any potential conflicts to the relevant senior manager in Ofgem, as set out under Ofgem’s Conflict of Interest Policy, which can be found here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2013/03/conflicts-of-interest-at-ofgem.pdf

District Heating

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether her Department is taking steps to support people with communal boilers who are not eligible for domestic tariffs with their energy bills.

Amanda Solloway: Heat network customers receive reductions in their heat price through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023, and the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS), from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. All eligible heat networks receive the baseline level of support under the EBDS, with a higher level of support available to heat networks with domestic end consumers. This higher level of support aims to ensure that domestic customers on heat networks do not face disproportionately higher bills when compared to customers in equivalent households who are supported by the Energy Price Guarantee.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Nature Conservation

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Natural Flood Management (NFM) Community Programme Grant 2020-2022.

Rebecca Pow: The Natural Flood Management (NFM) Community Grant Programme entry in the Government grant statistics 2020 to 2021 relates to part of a wider £15 million NFM programme. The Government’s £15 million NFM programme, which ran from 2017-2021, delivered NFM measures across England to further develop the evidence base on working with natural processes to reduce flood risk. The programme funded 34 community scale-projects as well as 26 catchment scale projects. The Environment Agency published the evaluation in 2022. Evidence from the programme is feeding into the Government’s evidence directory on working with natural processes to reduce flood risk, and it helped to reduce flood and/or coastal erosion risk, improved habitats and biodiversity, and promoted partnership working.

Water: Standards

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Water Environment Improvement Fund - Catchment Partnership Action Fund (CPAF) 2020-2022.

Rebecca Pow: The Catchment Partnerships Action Fund (CPAF) created in 2015 built upon the success of the Catchment Restoration Fund (CRF) and Catchment Partnership Fund (CPF). CPAF supported the maintenance of Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) catchment partnerships and provided a mechanism to fund measures led by civil society to address statutory objectives. The Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) was established in 2016 to build on CPAF. 107 WEIF hosting payments were made to catchment partnerships in 2020/21. Results from 2020/21 WEIF reporting confirm that CaBA catchment partnerships represent an important mechanism for delivery of the 25 Year Environment Plan goals:CaBA partnerships engaged over 17,000 new stakeholdersNearly 300 CaBA projects addressed pollution issues60 projects led to 1,200 ha of habitat creation, 78 barriers to fish migration removed and over 755 km of invasive species cleared.Over 350 projects addressed flood risk, using natural flood management.250 projects included a focus upon natural infrastructure, such as wetlands, in the urban environment.

Plastics: Waste Disposal

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to reduce the amount of existing plastic waste in the environment.

Rebecca Pow: One way plastic enters the environment is through littering. Local authorities have a statutory duty to keep their public land clear of litter and refuse. We have been proud to support and endorse national clean-up initiatives such as the Great British Spring Clean, and the Great British Beach Clean, and we will continue to use our influence to encourage as many people and businesses as possible to participate in these types of events again. Community Payback also plays a key role in clearing up communities, working in partnership with Local Authorities and the voluntary sector. The Government has pledged to inject up to a further £93 million of additional investment into Community Payback, to ensure criminals sentenced to probation-supervised community sentences across England and Wales complete up to eight million hours of unpaid Community Payback per year. This will involve picking litter, clearing wastelands, and extending offenders’ involvement in Keep Britain Tidy’s projects. The UK Government is also proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution to start negotiating an international legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution, being agreed at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022. The process to negotiate a new agreement is now underway, and the UK has taken an ambitious stance, including calling for provisions in the instrument to remediate and remove existing plastic pollution from the environment.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Sir Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the DIVA test will be approved for TB.

Mark Spencer: Developing a vaccine against TB in cattle is one of the Government’s top priorities. Defra aims to have a deployable cattle TB vaccine (‘CattleBCG’) and a new companion DIVA skin test (to detect infected among vaccinated animals) in the next few years. Field trials of the CattleBCG vaccine and the DIVA skin test started in 2021 and are ongoing. Final deployment will rely on the success of the ongoing field trials, achieving UK Marketing Authorisations from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) (for both CattleBCG and the companion DIVA skin test), gaining international recognition through WOAH and our trading partners for both products, an IT system to record and trace vaccinated cattle, and acceptance of vaccination from stakeholders across the supply chain. Defra is working closely with industry to co-design policy proposals that will be brought to public consultation. This would pave the way for removing or relaxing legal barriers to CattleBCG and DIVA skin test use in England and Wales.

Plastics: Waste Management

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made a recent estimate of the amount of plastic waste in the UK environment.

Rebecca Pow: No recent assessment has been made of the amount of plastic waste in the UK environment.

Electronic Cigarettes: Environment Protection

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Scottish Government on its review into the environmental impact of disposable vapes.

Rebecca Pow: There have been no meetings held between the Defra ministers and Scottish Ministers, so far. However, there are plans to hold discussions on this area in the near future.

Coastal Erosion

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to provide assistance to (a) local authorities and (b) people affected by coastal erosion to tackle issues related to coastal erosion in the next two years.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is making a record investment of £5.2 billion in its flood and coastal erosion risk management capital programme, between 2021 to 2027. Currently, over £1 billion of the £5.2 billion capital investment programme for 2021-2027 is supporting projects in the programme will help better protect coastal communities from erosion or flooding. In addition, the Government is investing £200 million between 2021 and 2027 in the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation programme to support local places including coastal communities. This includes the £36 million coastal transition accelerators programme which will support communities in areas at significant risk of coastal erosion to transition and adapt to a changing climate. East Riding of Yorkshire and North Norfolk were identified as the areas to lead off the programme as they have proportionally the highest number of properties at risk from coastal erosion in England and are facing the greatest challenges from erosion and loss of coastline. Other coastal communities and risk management authorities will benefit from the learning that will be shared from this programme to inform future climate resilience and adaptation.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the AONB Grant Payments FY2020-21.

Trudy Harrison: Progress of the individual AONB Management Teams is monitored on an ongoing basis against their adopted business plan objectives. Going forward the Government will be seeking to better align the objectives of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 to the grants provided to AONB Management Teams. This will be done by setting clear targets for AONBs in our new Outcomes Framework for protected landscapes.

Furs: Imports

Patricia Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of banning the import of fur.

Mark Spencer: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues about a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Fisheries: Hampshire

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the IFCA Grant 2020/21 - Hampshire Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Support.

Mark Spencer: The Secretary of State is required to lay a report before Parliament on the ‘conduct and operations’ of the IFCAs as soon as reasonably practical after the end of every four-year period. Defra is close to completing evidence gathering that will inform the forthcoming Conduct and Operations Report and help us evaluate how the individual IFCA(s) have worked to meet their duties and responsibilities as statutory regulators. This report will include the effectiveness of the Hampshire IFCA Grant 2020/21 that supported the work of the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.

Livestock: UK Trade with EU

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to facilitate the export of livestock to the EU for breeding purposes.

Mark Spencer: His Majesty’s Government is working with industry and inspectors to develop digital Export Health Certificates to replace paper certification for live animals, to reduce the administrative burden on traders where possible. We anticipate a staged approach to digitisation of certification for exports to tie in with wider work on the Single Trade Window, which will allow traders to meet all their import, export and transit obligations by submitting information once, and in one place.

Forestry

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the English Tree Partnership Community Forests Woodland Creation Scheme.

Trudy Harrison: England’s Community Forests are performing well and are key to our tree planting ambitions. Funding from the Nature for Climate Fund Programme directly resulted in over 2400 hectares of tree planting with the Community Forests supporting new planting of 1000 hectares in 22/23 alone. This corresponds to 42% of all the planting achieved by the England Trees Programme.

Local Partnerships: Waste Management

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Grant to Local Partnerships to support to WIDP.

Rebecca Pow: The grant made to Local Partnerships to support the Waste Infrastructure Delivery Programme (WIDP) in 2020/21 allowed access to technical, financial, commercial, and legal support, enabling those local authorities within the Programme to effectively and efficiently manage their waste PFI contracts. The funding enabled Defra to provide dedicated personnel (Transactors) to each project. Local Partnerships also: carried out contract management reviews, making recommendations on future management of PFI contracts; carried out contract management training for local authority officials; facilitated the sharing of best practice on waste PFI contract management; and provided bespoke support on waste PFI contract management matters as they arose during the Covid 19 pandemic.

Water: Infrastructure

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Waste Infrastructure PFI Grant FY2020/21.

Rebecca Pow: The Waste Infrastructure PFI Grant for 2020/21 continued to support local authorities with their provision of modern, efficient waste management facilities, enabling England to meet its 2020 landfill diversion targets. The long-term waste PFI grants were a major contributing factor to our delivery against these targets, acting as a catalyst to invigorate the waste infrastructure market.

Public Footpaths: Coastal Areas

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Natural England-England Coastal Path Scheme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB-Natural England-England Coastal Path Scheme 20/21 Grant.

Trudy Harrison: Natural England oversaw a capital grant scheme in 2020-21 for the establishment of the then England Coast Path (now King Charles III England Coast Path) by local highway authorities which will make the King Charles III England Coast Path the longest waymarked and maintained coastal walking route in the world at 2,700 miles long when complete. The grant scheme is still ongoing and over 900 miles is now open to the public.

Myanmar: Fishing Gear

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ODA Marine - Reducing the Impacts of Ghost Gear in Myanmar Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The UK is an active member of the Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI): a pioneering alliance of the fishing industry, private companies, NGOs and Governments working to solve the global problem of ghost gear, also known as Abandoned, Lost or Discarded Fishing Gear (ALDFG). The GGGI aims to improve the health of marine ecosystems, protect marine animals and safeguard human health and livelihoods. It is the first initiative dedicated to tackling the problem of ghost fishing gear on a global scale. In 2021, Defra allocated funding of £50,000 to a community-led pilot project in Myanmar in partnership with the GGGI to reduce ALDFG that harms marine life, which was delivered by the Myanmar Ocean Project (MOP). The aims of the project were to raise awareness of the issues caused by ghost gear to local fishers, produce factsheets to engage nationally and regionally, and to run ghost gear collection trials. MOP’s field work was scheduled to begin in early February; however, a coup occurred in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, which significantly impacted the planned activities. As a result, £6,600 of the £50,000 allocated was paid to the GGGI, to cover the activities that they were able to undertake prior to the coup. No further activity was possible following the coup. The activities funded included the translation of materials for local divers into Burmese in anticipation of the field work, including the diver protocol, COVID-19 protocol, and social media guidelines, and the training of in-country team members ahead of project activities being undertaken. The payment of the grant was made following assessment that the grant outputs have been delivered to a satisfactory standard, within the challenging circumstances.

Fundão Tailing Dam: Disasters

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the Mariana dam disaster .

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a wide range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate she has made of the number of nutrient mitigation schemes that were (a) available and (b) in development as of 1 September 2023.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is aware of nutrient mitigation schemes other than the Natural England-led Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. However, the Government recognises that these schemes have not developed rapidly enough in all of the catchments subject to nutrient neutrality advice to unlock much needed new homes. That is why the Government has tabled amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, alongside a wider environmental package, which will reform the retained EU law which gave rise to this barrier. This will ensure that the small amount of new nutrient outflow from housing is offset, while doing more to recover the condition of protected sites impacted by excess nutrients in water.

Recreation Spaces: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the preservation of green spaces within (a) Romford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Havering.

Trudy Harrison: The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. We committed in our Environmental Improvement Plan to work across government to help ensure that everyone lives within 15 minutes’ walk of a green or blue space.The Government is delivering a number of policies to protect access to green spaces including in urban areas. Examples of these include:Delivering the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund to improve green space in more than 100 disadvantaged neighbourhoods in the UK.The launch of the Green Infrastructure Framework: Principles and Standards for England in January 2023 which shows what good green infrastructure looks like and will help local authorities, developers and communities to improve provision in their areaLocal Nature Recovery Strategies will identify locations where action for nature recovery would be particularly beneficial, encouraging the creation of more green spaces, including in urban areasImplementing a number of rights of way reforms which will streamline the process for adding new or lost footpaths to the rights of way network.Three Sites of Special Scientific Interest are situated within the London Borough of Havering supporting some of the largest areas of wetland across greater London. Two of the three sites are managed under agri-environment schemes with Natural England working closely with landowners in managing these sites with another eight agri-environment schemes protecting important grassland, wetland and woodland edge habitat across the borough.

Dangerous Dogs

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Responsible Dog Ownership working group has made recommendations on additional measures to reduce dog attacks.

Trudy Harrison: We are currently working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to address all aspects of tackling irresponsible dog ownership effectively, from prevention to robust, consistent enforcement, focussing on owners as well as on their dogs. Conclusions from this work are expected later this year.

Water: Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the process for approving nutrient mitigation schemes; and whether she is taking steps to streamline the process.

Trudy Harrison: DLUHC, Defra, and Natural England will be in touch with local authorities who proposed mitigation schemes for their areas, and Natural England will set out its plans for the new scheme very soon. Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) require sufficient certainty to enable them to grant planning permission for new development relying on nutrient mitigation. The Government recognises that this certainty has not been available in many of the catchments impacted by nutrient neutrality, and this has led to barriers to much needed new homes. This is why we have announced our new approach.

Water: Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much (a) public and (b) private money was spent on developing nutrient neutrality (i) regulations, (ii) guidance and (iii) mitigation schemes as of 1 September 2023.

Trudy Harrison: As of 1 September 2023, £10.8 million of the original £30 million intended to pump prime Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme has been spent. We also provided £100,000 funding to lead local planning authorities in each of the affected catchments to promote catchment-level working and supporting local responses.We do not hold data on the level of private funding spent on developing nutrient neutrality. We are doubling the funding available for nutrient reduction schemes to £280m and making clear that we expect contributions from the larger developers. Our plan will ensure that new nutrients from development will still be offset, while shifting our longer-term focus to restoration.Natural England will now have the funding and certainty to lead this work for the remainder of this decade. We expect them to partner with third parties to deliver nutrient reductions, and associated environmental co-benefits, where this represents good value for money.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Defra and Natural England will be in touch with local authorities who proposed mitigation schemes for their areas, and Natural England will set out its plans for the new scheme very soon.

Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's expected timescale is for the draft Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 to be considered by the House.

Trudy Harrison: Parliamentary business will be scheduled and announced in the usual way.

Water: Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of  nutrient neutrality mitigation schemes on (a) biodiversity and (b) carbon sequestration.

Trudy Harrison: Nutrient mitigation can provide carbon and biodiversity benefits alongside other wider environmental benefits if the mitigation involves nature-based interventions such as wetlands or other habitat creation. Natural England’s Nutrient Mitigation Scheme will continue to maximise the wider environmental benefits of nutrient mitigation in its new and expanded form; as well as seeking to promote innovative approaches to reducing nutrient pollution.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has received representations from officials at Kew Gardens on the proposal to move the herbarium from Kew.

Trudy Harrison: Defra officials, as well as ministers, have regular interactions with Kew relating to their work and forthcoming initiatives. The Director of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has asked to meet with the Secretary of State to discuss a range of issues including the proposals relating to the herbarium. This meeting has not yet taken place.

Water: Pollution Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the external costs of nutrient pollution.

Trudy Harrison: The impact assessment for water targets under the environment act, published in December 2022, made an assessment of the benefits of reducing external costs to society from a reduction in nutrient pollution.The impact assessment estimated that reducing total nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment pollution from agriculture by 40% by 2038 would lead to £4.2bn in reduced external costs to society. This accounted for reduced carbon emissions, improved air quality, recreational benefits and reduced water treatment costs. The IA also estimated that reducing phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% would lead to a £2.1bn reduction in external costs.

Fisheries

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using fines collected from water companies to support angling societies to replenish fish stocks.

Rebecca Pow: In the Plan for Water, we announced the Water Restoration Fund which will channel environmental fines and penalties collected from water companies into projects that improve the water environment. The Fund will support a wide range of projects to improve the environment such as removing invasive non-native species; creating and restoring water-dependent habitats; removing barriers to enable fish and other species’ natural movement in rivers. Further details will be announced later in the year.

Pets: Electronic Training Aids

Mrs Helen Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains her policy to ban the use of electric shock collars on cats and dogs in England.

Trudy Harrison: We remain committed to introducing a ban on electronic collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric shock to cats or dogs. Parliamentary business will be scheduled and announced in the usual way.

Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the proposal to move the herbarium from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew to Reading.

Trudy Harrison: The proposal to move the herbarium from the site at Kew to Reading is at a very early stage and so an estimate of the potential cost has not yet been made by Defra. Such an estimate will be developed at the appropriate stage and in line with the usual processes.

Gardens: Plastics

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a (a) ban and (b) tax on artificial grass for domestic use.

Rebecca Pow: Defra has no plans to make an assessment of the merits of banning or taxing the use of artificial grass. While there are no plans to make such an assessment, we are clear its use should wherever possible follow published advice and guidance, including advice in the Green Infrastructure Framework launched by Natural England in February. Included in this framework is a planning and design guide that references guidance on permeable surfaces in front gardens and advice from the RHS on the greening of front gardens, driveways and parking areas. The framework sets out how the installation of artificial grass can have negative impacts on biodiversity and drainage for flood prevention if installed in place of natural earth or more positive measures. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic plastic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary plastic products. Our 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. Given the scale of the plastics problem, we need to take a targeted and evidence-led approach to tackling the issues of plastic waste. More widely, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities consulted in December 2022 on updating the National Planning Policy Framework to recognise the threat to wildlife created by developers using artificial grass when building new homes. The response to this consultation will be published in the Autumn.

Plastics: Waste

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of impact of plastic waste in the environment on the food chain.

Rebecca Pow: No specific assessment has been made on the impact of plastic waste on the food chain. However, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is monitoring and assessing emerging information concerning microplastics in food and beverages. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment concluded in 2021 that, based on current data, "it is not yet possible to perform a complete assessment for the potential risks from exposure to micro and nanoplastics via the oral and inhalation routes”. The FSA considers it is unlikely that the presence of these particles in food or drink would cause harm to consumers, based on current information; however, this will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available.

Agriculture: Land Use

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the proportion of farmers that are engaged with rewilding.

Trudy Harrison: We do not keep information on “rewilding” which is a term with a wide range of interpretations and definitions. We are supporting farmers to improve the environmental sustainability of their business through Environmental Land Management. Those schemes are designed so that farmers can choose what to do with their land.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the impact of breeding brachycephalic animals as pets on the welfare of those animals; and whether her Department plans to bring forward measures to help safeguard the welfare of brachycephalic animals that are bred to be kept as pets.

Trudy Harrison: Defra meets regularly with a range of animal welfare and companion animal sector organisations and is kept abreast of concerns relating to brachycephaly in companion animals. Brachycephalic companion animals bred to be sold and kept as pets are already protected under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations). The 2018 Regulations require anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters of dogs in a twelve-month period, as well as anyone in the business of breeding and selling rabbits or cats as pets, needs to hold a valid licence issued by their local authority. Under the 2018 Regulations, licensed dog breeders are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies, and licensed pet sellers are required to protect any animals bred for sale as a pet from pain, suffering, injury and disease. To support consumers and reduce the opportunities available to unscrupulous breeders and sellers, Defra maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets.

Dogs: Animal Welfare

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) promote the Brachycephalic Working Group Strategy 2022-2025, (b) prevent images of dogs with brachycephaly being used in (i) advertising, (ii) marketing and (iii) social media and (c) help prevent the illegal importation of brachycephalic dogs.

Trudy Harrison: Defra officials participate in the UK Brachycephalic Working Group’s (BWG) meetings to assist in identifying opportunities for improvements and engagement in relation to responsible dog ownership and dog health and welfare. The department also supports the work of the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) and endorses their Advertising Standards, which can be found here: How to buy a pet - Advertising Standards (paag.org.uk). Defra promotes the work of the UK BWG and PAAG when press or communications opportunities arise.To support consumers and reduce the opportunities available to unscrupulous breeders and sellers, Defra maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets, which provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. The step-by-step guide on buying a dog includes a reminder to ensure that the dog’s physical features have minimal adverse impacts on their physical well-being and welfare.It is not illegal to import dogs into Great Britain solely on account of them being brachycephalic.

Barley: Dogs

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of highly dense areas of barley grass seeds on the health of dogs; and whether her Department plans to take preventative action to reduce the risk of injury to dogs.

Trudy Harrison: To support dog owners and handlers, the Government has published a Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs which is available here: Code of practice for the welfare of dogs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The code summarises important information for owners and helps them make decisions about how best to care for their dogs. The code includes information on how to keep dogs healthy and protect them from pain, suffering, injury, and disease, and recommends that owners monitor their dogs carefully and seek the advice of a veterinarian where necessary. In addition, many of the UK’s animal welfare organisations provide owners and handlers with advice on how to care for their dogs, including the risks posed by grass seeds. For example, the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals has published advice for owners here: Grass seeds in dogs - PDSA.

Food Charities Grant Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Covid-19 Food Charity Grant Scheme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Covid-19 Purchase and distribute food to charities Grant.

Mark Spencer: In March 2020 the Government announced a covid-19 support package of £16m, including grant-funding for food redistribution, to provide food for vulnerable individuals. I refer to the answer given on 12 January 2021 to the Parliamentary Question UIN 136545, tabled on 12 January 2021, regarding the outcomes from that package. A further grant of £16m was given to FareShare in winter 2020, where as a result Defra funded food reached over 3,000 frontline organisations and accounted for approximately 18.9 million meals provided.

Animal Welfare: Electronic Training Aids

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of remote controlled electronic shock collars; and if she will do so before the end of this parliamentary session.

Trudy Harrison: Parliamentary business will be scheduled and announced in the usual way.

Pets: Travel

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to issue pet passports that are valid for the entire pet's life.

Trudy Harrison: Under EU rules, pet owners from Great Britain are required to use an Animal Health Certificate for travel to the European Union. We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1’ listed status. Achieving this would allow pet owners and assistance dog users to use pet passports when travelling to the EU.

Crops: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has conducted into the use of climate-resilient crops.

Mark Spencer: Defra’s crop Genetic Improvement Networks (GINs) provide research to develop more productive, sustainable, and resilient crop varieties. These R&D networks have successfully identified genetic traits that have improved crop resilience to climate change, and we are working with breeders to incorporate these into elite crop varieties. The GINs work in partnership with the Met Office, using climate projections to better target crop breeding. Research on crop resilience will accelerate as our Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act unlocks further opportunities. Through Defra’s £270 million pound Farming Innovation Programme, we recently awarded £11.69m in a ‘climate smart’ farming themed competition to projects investigating novel approaches to growing and managing crops.

Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her expected timescale is for debating the Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 in the House of Commons.

Trudy Harrison: We remain committed to introducing a ban on electronic collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric shock to cats or dogs. Parliamentary business will be scheduled and announced in the usual way.

Mammals: Conservation

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the eDNA Validation for Rare/Elusive Mammals Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The aim of this grant was to compare the effectiveness of different environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches for detecting rare (i.e. low density) or elusive species of mammals. The approach used was to compare the effectiveness of metabarcoding studies (which provide multi-species detection) with that of single-species approaches (i.e. Droplet Digital PCR) as survey techniques for otters and water shrew. The key finding was that single-species approaches worked better for both species, demonstrating that species-specific approaches may be most effective for detecting rare or elusive species.The results have improved our ability to select appropriate eDNA survey techniques for mammals, and the knowledge gained from this grant has already been applied to further surveys such as the otter survey of England, which has just been completed. Natural England is also looking to replicate these techniques with other elusive species such as the invasive American mink.

Zoo Animals Fund

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Covid 19 Zoo Support Fund.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Covid-19 Zoo Animal Fund.

Trudy Harrison: The Zoo Support Fund and subsequent Zoos Animal Fund were set up to help those zoos and aquariums most effected by the coronavirus pandemic. No formal assessments of the schemes have been carried out but both funds aimed to avoid unnecessary euthanasia of zoo animals due to income reductions and to preserve animal welfare.

Crops: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) help farmers grow climate-resilient crops and (b) support demand for climate-resilient crops.

Mark Spencer: We understand the increasing importance of farmers having access to crop varieties that are resistant to climate change and variable weather conditions, to maintain crop quality and yields. The Precision Breeding Act (2023) is a major step in unlocking growth and innovation in technologies like gene editing and supports Defra’s efforts to reinforce food security in the face of climate change. Through the Act we want to encourage researchers and commercial breeders to be at the forefront of capturing the potential benefits of precision breeding for British farmers and consumers. Our Genetic Improvement Networks also provide a platform for knowledge exchange for breeders, producers, end users and the research base, and a means for the delivery of scientific knowledge, resources and results to add value to UK crops. The £270 million Farming Innovation Programme supports industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture. All projects support productivity and environmental outcomes that will benefit farmers and growers in England. In our latest ‘climate smart’ farming themed competition, we awarded over £11 million to projects investigating novel approaches to growing and managing crops. Previous competitions have also supported crop-related research.

Elephants: Conservation

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Elephant Collaring and veterinary fences grant.

Trudy Harrison: Defra has provided the KAZA Secretariat just under £569,000 of funding for projects seeking to build capacity and support cross-border action on the conservation of wildlife within countries in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. This includes the assessment of veterinary fences in northern Ngamiland, Botswana. The assessment identified those fences that have major negative impacts on regional wildlife to inform whether they should be removed or realigned. The assessment is with the Government of Botswana, awaiting official release. Defra also provided support to the KAZA Secretariat for the deployment of 40 elephant collars which track elephant movements through wildlife corridors in the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) region. Data from the collars has informed recommendations for protecting and maintaining corridors used by elephants and other wildlife. These recommendations were included in the Policy Brief published by the KAZA Elephant Sub Working Group in January 2023.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Taiwan

Elizabeth Truss: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2023 to Question 187964 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Taiwan, if she will identify which minister represented her Department for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020, (d) 2021, (e) 2022 and (f) 2023; and if she will identify the (i) job title and (ii) grade of the most senior official who represented her Department when a minister was not present for each meeting it held with representatives of the Taiwan Government in (A) 2018, (B) 2019, (C) 2020, (D) 2021, (E) 2022 and (F) 2023.

Mark Spencer: The Department had regular official level meetings with representatives of the Taiwanese administration during this period, both in the UK and through the British Office in Taipei, in line with our longstanding policy on Taiwan.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the GAP Clean Air Day 2020 Grant.

Trudy Harrison: Clean Air Day is the UK’s largest public engagement campaign on air quality, and Defra funding provided to Global Action Plan in 2020 supported it to take a range of action to engage the public and stakeholders on air quality. Key successes included: - #CleanAirDay trending on Twitter;- 200 Clean Air Day events;- the mobilisation of 270 supporter organisations, and;- 1181 news and broadcast items.

Flood Control: Grants

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Management of National Flood Response Assets Grant.

Rebecca Pow: The Management of National Flood Response Assets Grant funds the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service’s management of a register of flood rescue assets, including rescue equipment and boats. This is to ensure the flood rescue teams from both Fire and Rescue Services and the voluntary sector are available. These teams can be deployed across England to aid rescue efforts during a flood incident, as they were in the West Midlands in February 2022.

Fisheries: Sandeels

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take with the responses to her Department's consultation on spatial management measures for industrial sandeel fishing, which closed on 29 May 2023.

Mark Spencer: Defra is now considering these responses and undertaking further analysis ahead of the introduction of any management measures. Any measures introduced will be outlined in the Government response to the consultation.

Nature Conservation: Children

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - Natural England - Children in Nature Programme Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Children and Nature Programme was delivered as part of Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan commitment to “encourage children to be close to nature, in and out of school, with particular focus on disadvantaged areas”. The programme closed in March 2022. The programme supported three large scale delivery projects: Nature Friendly Schools; Growing Care Farming; and Community Forest and Woodland Outreach. The projects aimed to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds in England to have better access to natural environments. This was primarily delivered through school-focused projects, but also through care farms which offer services to children outside mainstream schooling as well as adults with therapeutic needs. Through the programme 53,000 children experienced more time in nature via community forest visits, residential trips and improvements to school grounds. Care farming places per year increased to over 675,000, a rise of 54%. All projects reported improvements to children’s wellbeing, behaviours, achievement and attendance. The findings from the Children and Nature Programme have already been used to inform developing policy, including through the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Strategy. An independent evaluation of Nature Friendly Schools, the largest delivery project is due to be published shortly, as is a programme-wide delivery report.

Livestock: Exports

Paul Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support farmers export live animals into the European Union.

Mark Spencer: His Majesty’s Government is working with industry and inspectors to develop digital Export Health Certificates to replace paper certification for live animals, to reduce the administrative burden on traders where possible. We anticipate a staged approach to digitisation of certification for exports to tie in with wider work on the Single Trade Window, which will allow traders to meet all their import, export and transit obligations by submitting information once, and in one place.EU BCPs can only be constructed with approval given by EU Member States. Defra has regular bilateral meetings with EU Member States where the topic of building BCPs in EU to support the export of live animals in the EU has been discussed.

National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Contribution to National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs 2020-2021 Grant.

Mark Spencer: As part of the grant conditions, the grant recipient provides data on delivery, including regular reports of activities and outputs to Defra. This grant contributes to a range of activities and helps meet Defra's objectives for supporting new entrants into farming and the development of sustainable and resilient land-based businesses. The grant assessment has been carried out through regular project monitoring and a review at completion of how the activities achieved their objectives.

Darwin Initiative

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Darwin Initiative Grant Scheme - Darwin Plus Projects R8 (WICAF).

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Darwin Initiative Grant Scheme - Darwin Plus Projects R8 (ODA).

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Round - Darwin Initiative (ODA) Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Round - IWT Challenge Fund (ODA) Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Darwin Initiative Grant Scheme - Darwin Plus Projects R6 R7 FY20-23 Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Darwin Initiative Grant Scheme - Fellowship Grants.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Darwin Initiative Grant Scheme - Main Projects (2020-2023).

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Darwin Initiative Grant Scheme - Partnership Projects FY20-22.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Illegal Wildlife Trade Grant Scheme R6 FY20-24.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Round - Darwin Initiative (ODA) Grant.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Round - IWT Challenge Fund (ODA) Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Biodiversity Challenge Funds (BCF) include the Darwin Initiative, Darwin Plus and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which support a series of projects under distinct funding rounds. All grants under these schemes report on effectiveness through a combination of half-year, annual and final reports. These reports are assessed by an independent specialist. A sample of projects across the portfolio are also selected each year for detailed financial spot audit checks and technical checks through mid-term reviews which are more in-depth investigations into project performance. All reports and information about projects are available on the relevant fund websites:https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/project-search/https://darwinplus.org.uk/project-search/https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/project-search/  In 2020, an external evaluation of the BCF was carried out. The scope of this evaluation included all projects since the beginning of the schemes across all countries and territories of operation. Across the three BCF, the evaluation found that, overall, projects made significant contributions to reducing threats to biodiversity loss and enhancing the protection of biodiverse ecosystems. The full report is available at: https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/assets/uploads/FinalReport_Publishable.pdf.

Rural Payments Agency

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ALB - Rural Payments Agency - State Aid Funded (RD Measure 08) Grant.

Mark Spencer: Annual reports covering agri-environment scheme evidence are published by Natural England (latest here: Agri-environment evidence annual report 2022 - NERR126 (naturalengland.org.uk)). Defra is conducting an ex-post evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions made under the 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme for England, that is due to be completed in 2024.

Linking Environment and Farming

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the LEAF- Open Farm Sunday 2020 Grant.

Mark Spencer: No final reporting was provided by LEAF for the 2020-21 Open Farm Sunday Grant. Consequently, the Department was unable to carry out an assessment.

Fishing Vessels: Monitoring

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of inshore vessel monitoring systems purchased by fishers were installed by each of the four approved suppliers before the removal of type approval for the systems provided by Maritime Systems Ltd and Starlink.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2023 to Question 187133 on Fishing Vessels: Monitoring, what information his Department holds on what the numerous and significant issues were with the Maritime Systems I-VMS device.

Mark Spencer: The Marine Management Organisation type-approved four devices in 2021 after suppliers provided evidence of their specification. It then commissioned independent assurance testing in November 2022 on all four devices to provide further assurance. Two of the devices failed the assurance process, including the Maritime Systems Ltd MS44 device. Prior to their suspension, Maritime Systems Ltd had installed approximately 70% of all devices purchased by fishers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,  what steps her Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Mark Spencer: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in Defra. In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy we are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030. Defra’s in-house Digital, Data & Technology Service (DDTS) team are responsible for the delivery of key IT services used across the department. Working through a number of key suppliers we have an ongoing technology transformation program to uplift, replace or decommission legacy IT equipment that has posed a significant cyber risk of disruption to the department. This is reflected in our new Digital Transformation Strategy. We operate our own internal cyber Security Operations Centre (SOC) to monitor our networks and have developed our own Cyber and Cloud academies to build a pipeline of talent to fill the skills gap of trained cyber professionals available to department. We work closely with NCSC and have adopted their Active Cyber Defence tools to ensure we follow industry and HMG best practice. Core systems are subject to regular IT Health checks and penetration testing, as are all new systems as they come into service. Defra takes the protection of personal data very seriously. We employ an expert Data Protection team and an independent Data Protection Officer to advise on compliance. Physical and organisational controls are in place to protect personal data and security and data protection training is mandatory for all staff. We benchmark ourselves against the Information Commissioner’s Accountability Framework (Accountability Framework | ICO) and key operational areas are additionally compliant with ISO27001 (a global standard for information security). Internal auditors periodically review Data Protection risks and report to the Department’s Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee, chaired by a non-executive director. We will continue to assess and refine our security and data protection controls in line with the law, privacy expectations and new threats, as they emerge.

Darwin Initiative

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the COVID-19 Rapid Response Round (Non-ODA) Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Biodiversity Challenge Funds (BCF) include the Darwin Initiative, Darwin Plus and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which support a series of projects under distinct funding rounds.All grants under these schemes report on effectiveness through a combination of half-year, annual and final reports. These reports are assessed by an independent specialist. A sample of projects across the portfolio are also selected each year for detailed financial spot audit checks and technical checks through mid-term reviews which are more in-depth investigations into project performance.All reports and information about projects are available on the relevant fund websites:https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/project-search/https://darwinplus.org.uk/project-search/https://iwt.challengefund.org.uk/project-search/In 2020, an external evaluation of the BCF was carried out. The scope of this evaluation included all projects since the beginning of the schemes across all countries and territories of operation. Across the three BCF, the evaluation found that, overall, projects made significant contributions to reducing threats to biodiversity loss and enhancing the protection of biodiverse ecosystems. The full report is available at: https://www.darwininitiative.org.uk/assets/uploads/FinalReport_Publishable.pdf.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Freedom of Information

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps their Department is taking to improve the response time to FOI requests.

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the average time taken by his Department to respond to freedom of information requests in the 2022-23 financial year.

Mark Spencer: For the calendar year 2022 and 2023 to date Defra has maintained a high level of performance in terms of responding to freedom of information (FOI) requests. Official National Statistics on FOI performance for all central government departments and other monitored bodies can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics. The Department continually monitors and looks for ways to maintain its FOI performance.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Mark Spencer: The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) leads the Government Digital and Data function; this includes setting strategy and direction for the improvement of digital services and understanding current performance. Defra’s new digital strategy (to be published this Autumn) is set around 5 missions which align to the CDDO strategy.Since the publication of the National Disability Strategy in July 2021, CDDO has published the outcome of its work to monitor UK public sector websites and mobile applications. This can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/accessibility-monitoring-of-public-sectorwebsites-and-mobile-apps-2020-2021/accessibility-monitoring-of-public-sector-websit es-and-mobile-apps-2020-2021.Outputs of this publication and other reviews of digital service performance across government have informed a new performance framework, created by CDDO, for service provision in Government.This framework forms part of mission 1 of the Transforming for a Digital Future strategy, which commits the Government to move 50 of its Top 75 services (by volume) to ‘Great’ standard on the framework by 2025.It explicitly requires compliance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (“accessibility regulations'') and sets thresholds for user experience, which are in line with global best practice.Defra’s Digital, Data and Technology Services directorate includes an in-house accessibility team which provides guidance and assurance to digital delivery teams to ensure all new services meet the accessibility regulations. The team has deep technical knowledge of the international WCAG standard and front-end development, backed up with lived experience of using assistive technology. It provides consultation at all stages of project delivery with activities which include:assessing responses to tenderssupporting user researchadvising on technical challengesperforming quick checks against WCAGarranging 3rd party auditsguidance on fixes and mitigationswriting accessibility statementsongoing monitoring The accessibility team sits within a wider Product and Experience function which includes specialist user centred design and product management capability including user research, content, interaction and service design. It takes a best practice approach to digital service design and delivery aligned to the government digital Service Standard.CDDO is working proactively with departments to ensure that public services meet the requirements set out in the framework, in order to move them to ‘Great’ standard.Alongside this, Government Digital Service continues to monitor legal accessibility compliance across the public sector and CDDO monitors adherence to the Service Standard and Design Standard, all of which set out minimum requirements for user experience and accessibility and are formally monitored by CDDO through its Service Assessment process.GOV.UK’s strategy aims to improve the overall user experience by making it quicker and easier for users to access information and services, in formats and channels of their choice.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Domestic Visits

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if they will take steps to visit Solihull constituency in 2023.

Mark Spencer: The department will consider options for ministerial visits to Solihull.

Farmers: Government Assistance

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Future Farming Resilience Funding.

Mark Spencer: The Future Farming Resilience Fund (FFRF) has been delivered in three phases - the pilot phase, the interim phase and the scale-up phase - to allow for ongoing assessment to inform its delivery. In 2020, the pilot phase included a rapid internal evaluation to help establish ‘what works’ and ensure the full scheme roll out was evidence based. This was an internal report for policy development and was not published. In 2021-2022, an independent external evaluation was commissioned for the interim phase where delivery partners, farmers and land managers were consulted to assess the relevance of the FFRF and the extent to which the intervention meets the needs of beneficiaries. The effectiveness and efficiency of the scheme’s grant-funding model were also assessed. The evaluation found that the FFRF has been particularly effective in relation to awareness raising and improving farmers’ and land managers’ sense of being informed and supported through the Agricultural Transition. Following review and clearances, the evaluation report is expected to be published this autumn. The learning from this assessment have informed the FFRF scale-up phase, which is currently being delivered and is scheduled to close in March 2025.

Horses: Exports

Dr Neil Hudson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2023 to Question 192229 on Horses: Exports, how many Equidae were recorded leaving the UK via (a) Dover and (b) other ports in each year from 2016 to 2023.

Mark Spencer: We do not hold data on horse exports by place of departure.

Peatlands: North of England

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the NCF: Nature for Climate Fund Great North Bog Resource Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Defra funding was a contribution to the start up costs of the Great North Bog (GNB), an initiative to restore all of northern England’s upland peat. Since the grant ended the GNB were successful in applying for a multiyear grant through the Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme (NCPGS) and they report quarterly to Natural England against the objectives of the grant. The NCPGS is undergoing evaluation.

Biodiversity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the International Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Evidence FY19-21 Grant.

Trudy Harrison: This grant contributed towards the Gough Island Restoration Programme that aimed to eradicate mice and save critically endangered seabirds from extinction. Unfortunately, mice have since been found present on the island despite efforts to eradicate the species. Although the eradication attempt was not successful, in the short-term the programme did lead to significantly higher levels of seabird breeding success: the Critically Endangered MacGillivray’s Prions had a breeding success of 82% in 2021/22 and 62.9% in 2022/23 compared to an average of 6% from 2014-2020. An independent review commissioned in October 2022 by the RSPB, as project leads, has concluded that multiple factors led to the continuing survival of mice on Gough Island. Factors included competition from invertebrates for bait, and the hypothesis that some mice are now accustomed to a more protein rich diet and thus did not eat sufficient bait. The review process is ongoing.

Whales: Conservation

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the International Whaling Commission Voluntary Grant Contribution.

Trudy Harrison: The UK has a track record of providing voluntary contributions to the International Whaling Commission, in support of the primary global body with the competence and mandate for the conservation and management of cetaceans. The 2020 UK voluntary contribution of £60,000, along with contributions from other parties, has assisted in the continuation of the ‘IWC Bycatch Mitigation initiative’, and delivery of the ‘IWC Ship Strikes Work Plan 2022-24’. The Ship Strikes Work Plan was successfully published in 2022 and work is underway to identify and implement a range of measures to reduce ship-strikes, including through collaboration with the International Maritime Organization and other relevant international bodies. We will continue to support the important work of the IWC to uphold the moratorium on whaling and deliver on its extensive conservation work programme.

Action with Communities in Rural England

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Grant to Action with Communities in Rural England.

Trudy Harrison: An independent evaluation of the grant provided to Action with Communities in Rural England has been commissioned and will report by the end of March 2024. This builds on a previous independent evaluation undertaken by PWC in 2019 which can be found at sciencesearch.defra.gov.uk reference RE0289.

Wildlife

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the ODA Wildlife Management - AEWA Grant Funding.

Trudy Harrison: Grant funding to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) was provided to support delivery of the Plan of Action for Africa; a work package agreed by the parties to AEWA to provide a strategic plan for the conservation of waterbirds and their habitats in Africa. Specifically, it provided a contribution to existing long-term projects to restore habitats and reduce human-wildlife conflicts impacting on vulnerable populations of Madagascar Pond-heron, Black-tailed Godwit and the White-winged Flufftail. Reports have been completed and provided to AEWA parties which set out that the projects planned activities, supported by UK funding, which were delivered to agreed timelines. Additionally, financial oversight of AEWA as a whole is provided by the standing committee, which the UK currently chairs.

Chemicals: Safety

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UNEP-WCMC Webinar for the SAICM Strategic Approach Beyond 2020 Grant.

Rebecca Pow: The UNEP-WCMC webinar informed stakeholders of different models of indicator frameworks to be considered under negotiations of the Beyond 2020 Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management. The discussions influenced a UK paper on an indicator framework that was presented as part of the intersessional process in September 2022. This work has been built upon by the IOMC (Inter-Organisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals) and will be discussed at concluding negotiations at the International Chemicals Management Conference (ICCM 5) in Bonn (22-23 September 2023) for possible inclusion in a new United Nations framework instrument for chemicals and waste.

Peatlands: Cambridgeshire

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the NCF - Water Works, Great Fen Grant.

Rebecca Pow: The Defra funding was a contribution to a larger paludiculture (wetland farming) trial which received £1 million from the People's Postcode Lottery Dream Fund, offering good value for money to Government. The Defra funding supported the establishment of the trial site and allowed the project to run over three years instead of two, allowing more time for the innovative crops to become established. The funding was successfully used in the establishment of the paludiculture trial site, and the findings of the project are feeding into policy development on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from farmed peat and paludiculture.

Public Footpaths

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Preparation works to develop a sustainable funding model for National Trails Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The grant helped establish National Trails UK, a registered charity, whose purpose is to promote and protect our inspirational network of national trails that connects people, landscapes and nature. Defra provides additional funding to help National Trails UK champion our national trails and improve their long-term management and sustainability which will have benefits for people’s health and wellbeing and local economies. Natural England is working with National Trails to investigate sustainable funding opportunities.

Marine Environment

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Valuing Ocean Observations (NOC) Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Valuing Ocean Observations Grant was awarded to the National Oceanography Centre with a value of £14,600 in December 2020. The grant funded the contributions of the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) to an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and Global Ocean Observing Systems project to develop an improved understanding of the socio-economic benefits of publicly available marine data. Marine data underpin key activities in the public, private, and third sectors. Prior to this project there was limited knowledge of the socio-economic benefits for publicly available marine data. Developing this knowledge is important to inform the prioritisation of future investment in national marine data infrastructure. The project investigated the use of publicly available marine data stored in the UK’s MEDIN Data Archive Centres. It identified a wide range of users including academia and research centres, consultancies, industry, non-governmental organisations, and government. The project found different groups utilise publicly available marine data for different purposes, including professional marine science services, informing operations in the marine environment, and marine planning decisions. Socio-economic benefits of publicly available marine data included contributing of efficient operations, avoiding duplication of data collection effort, and providing essential information to support decision making and planning. The project led to the OECD publication ‘Value chains in public marine data: A UK case study’ (Jolly et al. 2021)[1]. No dedicated evaluation was conducted for this grant. [1] Jolly, C., et al. (2021), "Value chains in public marine data: A UK case study", OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, No. 2021/11, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/d8bbdcfa-en.

Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains her policy that the draft Animal Welfare (Electronic Collars) (England) Regulations 2023 will come into force by 1 February 2024.

Trudy Harrison: We remain committed to introducing a ban on electronic collars controlled by hand-held devices that deliver an electric shock to cats or dogs. Parliamentary business will be scheduled and announced in the usual way.

Dogs: Import Controls

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries on 25 May 2023, Official Report, columns 494 and 495, when she plans to bring forward (a) proposals to raise the age of import of brachycephalic dogs, (b) proposals to limit the import of pregnant bitches and (c) other proposals to stop the illegal importation of brachycephalic dogs.

Trudy Harrison: It is not illegal to import brachycephalic dogs into Great Britain. We plan to take forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. That is why we would be supportive of legislating to ban puppies under six months (including brachycephalic dogs) and heavily pregnancy dogs as a single-issue Bill when Parliamentary time allows. In August 2021, we consulted on proposed changes to the rules governing the commercial and non-commercial movement of cats, dogs and ferrets into Great Britain. We are carefully reviewing the feedback from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published in due course.

Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department holds a register of reports of sightings in the wild of animals listed under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Trudy Harrison: Defra does not maintain such a register.

Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the CVRAS testing fund grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme (CVRAS) Testing Fund provided funding to three suppliers to carry out CVRAS testing and accreditation of retrofit technologies for different vehicle types. The objective was to bring a wider range of accredited retrofit solutions to the CVRAS list for different engine and vehicle types. In 2020/21, there was low take up of the fund, but it resulted in new five new CVRAS accreditations including Mercedes Benz Econic truck, Mercedes Tourismo coach and Scania P series HGV cabs.

Hornets

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage people to report sightings of Asian Hornets to her Department.

Trudy Harrison: Any credible sightings of Asian hornet are treated extremely seriously as it is an invasive species that is a serious predator of honey bees and other pollinating insects. This year we have seen an increased number of sightings when compared to previous years, so accurate and timely reporting by members of the public is essential in allowing us to continue to respond effectively. To make reporting easier for members of the public, Defra promotes the use of the ‘Asian Hornet Watch’ app which is managed, on our behalf, by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH). The app allows people to send a picture and location of the sighting. This is essential for determining whether it is a credible sighting. In addition, the app is continually being developed with more pictures added recently of other insects with similar appearances, which helps tackle misidentification. Although the app is the preferred method of reporting, people can also report sightings using the UKCEH webpage and via email. Additionally, to enable accurate identification of Asian hornets we have published information on how to spot the insect on BeeBase – the website run by the National Bee Unit, part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The information is constantly being updated and incorporated into training material which is shared with beekeepers and members of the public. Furthermore, the National Bee Unit regularly undertakes training events, publishes regular articles in hobbyist publications and features in academic journals, all of which are often used as opportunities to promote reporting of Asian hornet. Defra works in collaboration with a range of stakeholders, with interests in bee health and invasive non-native species, to help raise awareness of the importance of reporting Asian hornet sightings. Last week, the National Bee Unit released communications as part of the British Beekeepers Association’s annual Asian Hornet Week, which aims to increase awareness of the threat posed by Asian hornet to honey bees and other pollinating insects, and to encourage reporting of suspected sightings.

Air Quality Grant Scheme

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the Air Quality Grant 2020-21 Revenue Grant.

Trudy Harrison: Following release of funding to successful applicants through the Air Quality Grant, each year we review evidence collated from the scheme to feed into our design for proceeding funding rounds. Local authorities share evidence with Defra through interim and final reports, which contain information on the delivery of Grant projects and the results of activities undertaken.

Dangerous Dogs

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will undertake a review of the rise in dog attacks in the last five years.

Trudy Harrison: In December 2021 Defra published research in collaboration with Middlesex University investigating measures to reduce dog attacks and promote responsible dog ownership across all breeds of dog.  In response to this research, we are working with police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to consider how the recommendations could be taken forward and to identify ways in which to improve the application of the full range of existing dog control powers. As part of this, we are also considering the role of education and training (for both dogs and their owners) in reducing the risk of dog attacks, as well as considering how we can improve data collection and recording and enforcement practices. Better data collection would enable us to track the effectiveness of the measures that we put in place. Conclusions from this work are expected later this year. These should address all aspects of tackling irresponsible dog ownership effectively, from prevention to robust, consistent enforcement, focussing on owners as well as on their dogs. In the meantime, my officials have also been working in partnership with police forces and local authorities across England and Wales to ensure the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Government grants statistics 2020 to 2021, published on 31 March 2022, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the GAP Clean Air Hub Grant.

Trudy Harrison: The Clean Air Hub, hosted by Global Action Plan (GAP), contains a range of tools and educational resources regarding air quality. Defra funding has supported GAP to maintain and improve the Clean Air Hub, allowing it to help people better understand air pollution and the actions that can be taken to protect themselves and others from it.

Flowers: Conservation

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help support Royal Botanic Gardens to protect rare flowers at risk of being endangered.

Trudy Harrison: Defra provides grant in aid funding which supports RBG Kew in delivering its statutory responsibilities under the National Heritage Act. These responsibilities include to ‘care for their collections of plants, preserved plant material, other objects relating to plants, books and records’ and to ‘carry out investigation and research into the science of plants and related subjects, and disseminate the results of the investigation and research’ Kew’s living collection houses many rare species, some of which are extinct in the wild. Approximately 90 plants and 24 fungi were newly named in 2022 by Kew and partners alone, of which many are extremely rare species threatened with extinction. Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency provide funding to Kew to support their work, as the UK CITES Scientific Authority for plants, in assessing and advising on the sustainability of international trade in over 30,000 plant species listed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Kew are working to identify and map Tropical Important Plant Areas in critical sites for plant conservation across the tropics. This project’s work in the UK’s overseas territories is part funded by the Darwin Plus scheme.

Sewers

Rosie Duffield: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the adoption rate of private sewers.

Rebecca Pow: Current adoption rates of newly constructed sewerage vary.

Inland Waterways: Repairs and Maintenance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal & River Trust, HCWS924, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the announced funding arrangement on the maintenance of inland waterways.

Rebecca Pow: I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 21 July 2023 to his previous question PQ UIN 194527 of 17 July 2023.

Dangerous Dogs

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the number of dog-on-dog attacks in the last 12 months.

Trudy Harrison: Any information on the number of dog-on-dog attacks will be held by individual local authorities and police forces.  We are currently working in partnership with the police, local authorities and animal welfare organisations to ensure that the full range of existing dog control powers are effectively applied to encourage responsible dog ownership and reduce the risk of dog attacks. As part of this, we are considering ways in which the collection and reporting of data relating to dog control incidents could be improved to inform prevention strategies. Conclusions from this work are expected later this year.

Fly-tipping

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to (a) tackle fly tipping and (b) help local authorities to (i) prevent and (ii) prosecute fly tipping.

Rebecca Pow: The PM’s Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan sets out how we will help councils take tougher action against those who fly-tip. We significantly raised the upper limit of on-the-spot fines in July, to £1,000 for fly-tipping and £600 for householders who give their waste to an unauthorised carrier. We have also increased transparency on the use of these fines by publishing league tables on fly-tipping enforcement and consulted stakeholders on ringfencing the money raised from fines for enforcement and clean up activity. This builds on the £1.2m Defra has provided in grant funding to help more than 30 councils implement projects cracking down on fly-tipping, including Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council who received £23,000 to purchase CCTV equipment. We intend to launch another grant opportunity for councils later this year. With the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, we are developing a toolkit to help councils and others tackle fly-tipping. So far, the group has published a guide on how to present robust cases to court and a new framework which sets out how to set up and run effective local partnerships. The toolkit, and other resources, are available online at https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

Coastal Areas and Rivers: Flood Control

Matt Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that (a) river and (b) coastal communities are protected from floods this year.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is investing a record £5.2 billion in the flood and coastal erosion risk management capital programme running from 2021 to 2027, which will provide better protection from all sources of flooding. At the end of March 2023, the Environment Agency (EA) estimated that approximately £1.5 billion of this funding has been invested with around 60,000 properties better protected through over 200 completed schemes. In addition, the Government is investing £200 million between 2021 and 2027 in the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation programme to support more than 25 local areas to trial innovative approaches for improving resilience for their communities. This includes £36 million support for communities in areas at significant risk of coastal erosion to transition and adapt to a changing climate. The EA works in partnership with the Met Office as part of the Flood Forecasting Centre to provide flood warning information direct to those who have registered to receive these, as well as a five-day flood forecast through their Check for flooding service.

Food: Waste Disposal

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the potential financial savings for every £1 invested by businesses in food waste reduction.

Rebecca Pow: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Research has shown that for every £1 invested by businesses on food waste reduction, half saw a 14-fold or greater return on investment. We support retailers and food businesses to take action on food waste. We fund the Courtauld 2030 Commitment, a voluntary agreement with industry managed by WRAP. Action through Courtauld includes working with businesses to measure and reduce food waste through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, helping them to take targeted action in their own operations and supply chains. The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste | WRAP

Gardens: Plastics

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183276 on Grass: Plastics, what steps her Department plans to take to help people and companies make the right choice, in the context of the purchase of artificial grass.

Rebecca Pow: We have taken a number of steps to help people and companies make the right choice in the purchase and use of artificial grass. In the 25 Year Environment Plan, we committed to introduce stronger new standards for green infrastructure and to support local authorities to assess provision. This new Green Infrastructure Framework was launched by Natural England in February. This shows what good green infrastructure looks like and helps local authorities, developers and communities to improve provision in their area. Included in this framework is a planning and design guide that references guidance on permeable surfaces in front gardens and advice from the RHS on the greening of front gardens, driveways and parking areas. The Environment Act 2021 contains an ambitious package of reforms to restore and enhance nature and green spaces. This includes a new mandatory requirement for biodiversity net gain in the planning system, to ensure that new developments enhance biodiversity. In future, eligible developments will be required to enhance biodiversity through the biodiversity net gain requirement. This will incentivise more nature positive development. The strengthened biodiversity duty, which came into force on 1st January 2023, requires all public authorities to consider how they can conserve and enhance biodiversity through the exercise of their functions. Public authorities will also have to have regard to Local Nature Recovery Strategies, Species Conservation Strategies and Protected Site Strategies in complying with the duty. More widely, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities consulted in December 2022 on updating the National Planning Policy Framework to recognise the threat to wildlife created by developers using artificial grass when building new homes. The response to this consultation will be published in the Autumn.

Dogs: Import Controls

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral statement by the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries on 25 May 2023, Official Report, column 494, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the import of (a) dogs with cropped ears and (b) other mutilated dogs.

Trudy Harrison: We plan to take forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, including those relating to puppy smuggling, individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. That is why we would be supportive of legislating to ban the import of dogs with mutilations, such as cropped ears and docked tails, as a single-issue Bill when Parliamentary time allows. In August 2021, we consulted on proposed changes to the commercial and non-commercial movements of pets into Great Britain. We are carefully reviewing the feedback from our consultation and wider engagement with stakeholders, and a summary will be published in due course.

Canal and River Trust

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the progress the Canal and River Trust has made in securing alternative sources of funding.

Rebecca Pow: Since it was established as a charity independent of Government in 2012 with the clear objective of reducing reliance on Government funding and moving towards greater self-sufficiency, the C&RT’s total income has grown by 11% between 2013/14 and 2022/23, while the proportion of that from the Government grant has remained relatively stable over this period at around 24%. Examples of C&RT’s alternative sources of alternative income in this period include a near-300% increase in charitable donations, a 14% increase in charitable activities income, a 9% increase in trading activity income (boat licences, mooring fees, utilities easements, etc), and a 3.5% increase in investment returns from the investment portfolio endowed by the Government to the C&RT in 2012 that is currently worth over £1 billion.

Canal and River Trust

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, whether her Department has made an assessment of the the ability of the Canal and River Trust to meet its objectives through her Department's funding between 2027 and 2037.

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 July 2023 on Future funding for the Canal and River Trust, HCWS924, what performance targets she has set for the Canal and River Trust for its role in delivering her Department's Environmental Improvement Plan.

Rebecca Pow: Following the 10 July announcement of the future Government grant funding settlement for the Canal and River Trust (C&RT) from 2027 to 2037, Defra officials will be engaging with the C&RT in the coming months to agree appropriate monitoring arrangements in relation to a range of Government policy objectives. The very substantial £401 million of new grant funding for the C&RT between 2027 and 2037 will provide the C&RT with certainty about the level of Government grant funding for its future business planning over the next three years or so, and continue to support the C&RT to maintain its canal network.

Food: Waste Disposal

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing mandatory food waste reporting in the context of helping the UK to meet its target to halve food waste by 2030.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing legislation to set food waste targets within the food supply chain.

Rebecca Pow: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government is fully committed to meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 target, which seeks to halve global food waste at consumer and retail levels by 2030. We support the Courtauld Commitment 2030 which works for a more sustainable supply chain tackling food waste, reducing GHG emissions and water use. The new phase of commitments, Courtauld 2030, includes an updated target of a 50% per capita reduction in food waste by 2030 against the UK’s 2007 baseline. The Government consulted on options to improve reporting of food waste volumes by large businesses in England. As set out in our published response to the consultation, the Government has decided to enhance the voluntary approach to food waste reporting. Around a third of large food businesses already provide evidence to WRAP on their food waste and we propose to increase this number. A regulatory approach has greater total costs to businesses and the public sector than the voluntary approach and is not considered suitable at this time, when any additional costs may be passed on to consumers.

Environment Agency: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Environment Agency have previous experience in the sectors that they regulate.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs appoints members to the Environment Agency board based on the skills and experience they bring from a wide range of sectors, including finance, business, regulation, and agriculture. The Environment Agency attracts and recruit’s employees with a wide range of skills and experiences also from a range of sectors. However, the information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Water: Standards

Samantha Dixon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that water companies publish the data they collect on water quality in a timely manner.

Rebecca Pow: The Government is driving up monitoring and transparency of water quality data. We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network from 7% in 2010 to 91% now, and we will reach 100% by end of this year. The Government has also required water companies to publish Event and Duration Monitoring (EDM) data annually since 2020. Data from 2022 was published in March 2023. The Government is taking additional steps to further improve water quality data published by companies. In April 2023 we launched a consultation on continuous water quality monitoring, setting out proposals to enhance the monitoring of watercourses to show not just whether an overflow is discharging but also its impact on the receiving watercourse. The Government is currently analysing responses and will respond to the consultation in due course. The Environment Agency has secured through the Water Industry National Environment Programme (WINEP), the monitoring of Storm Overflows through Event Duration Monitoring (EDM). There will be 100% coverage in England by December 2023. We secure the monitoring and reporting of EDM performance to the Environment Agency through requirements on water and sewerage company discharge permits. Defra and Government have introduced statutory requirements on the water and sewerage companies to publish EDM data annually and in near real time. There are also statutory requirements on water and sewerage companies through the environment act for water and sewerage companies to monitor and report on the water quality impacts of their discharges through installation of continuous water quality monitors. The Environment Agency is supporting Defra in their technical standards work around this monitoring and reporting and facilitating delivery by water and sewerage companies through the Environment Agency WINEP PR24 and future programme.

Food: Waste

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to require large food businesses to publicly report on their levels of food waste.

Rebecca Pow: The Government committed to consulting on options to improve reporting of food waste volumes by large businesses in England. As set out in our published response to the consultation, the Government has decided to enhance the voluntary approach to food waste reporting. Around a third of large food businesses already provide evidence to WRAP on their food waste and we propose to increase this number. A regulatory approach has greater total costs to businesses and the public sector than the voluntary approach and is not suitable at this time, when any additional costs may be passed on to consumers.

Bees: Protection

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of existing regulations to protect bee (a) nests and (b) hibernation sites.

Trudy Harrison: There is a wide range of legislative powers in place to protect pollinators. Current legislation includes provision to regulate the use of pesticides; provide protection for honey bee health; protect our best wildlife sites and most threatened species; provide incentives for habitat creation through our new environmental land management schemes and a legal requirement for public bodies to take account of biodiversity in carrying out their functions. There has been no recent assessment of the adequacy of existing regulations to protect bee nests and hibernation sites, however there is limited evidence to suggest that bee nests or hibernation sites are being intentionally destroyed and therefore we would not look to protect them under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Given bees and other pollinators can be found in, and utilise a range of habitats, protecting such a generalist habitat from destruction or disturbance could have the unintended consequence of making it a criminal offence to tend gardens and maintain land for other purposes. Pollinators are a priority for this government, and we are taking action alongside many partners to implement the National Pollinator Strategy’s provisions and deliver the National Pollinator Strategy Action Plan which was published in May 2022. One of the five simple actions to protect pollinators in the National Pollinator Strategy urges all people to avoid disturbing or destroying nesting or hibernating insects, in places like grass margins, bare soil, hedgerows, trees, dead wood or walls.

Treasury

Treasury: Correspondence

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what data their Department holds on the average response time to enquiries by Members; and what assessment they have made of the adequacy of that response time.

Gareth Davies: As detailed in the ‘Guide to Handling Correspondence’ linked in the table below, the Treasury is held to a target of responding to correspondence within 20 working days of receipt. The Cabinet Office monitors performance data on responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers measuring what percentage of Ministerial Correspondence cases received were answered within 20 working days. The data can be accessed through the link in the table below. So far this quarter, the Treasury has responded to 86% of cases from Members within 20 working days.  Publication linkPage referencehttps://www.gov.uk/government/collections/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peersN/Ahttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1008447/Guide_to_Handling_Correspondence_-_July_2021.pdfPage 6

Treasury: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

Gareth Davies: As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the government’s security arrangements. The department continues to work to support the implementation of the National Cyber Strategy and follows guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre and the Information Commissioners Office.

Money and Pensions Service

Catherine West: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of capacity of debt advice services funded through the Money and Pensions Service to meet demand.

Andrew Griffith: The Government recognises the vital role that advice services play in helping people in problem debt and vulnerable circumstances. To help people in problem debt, the Government continues to maintain record levels of funding for free-to-client debt advice in England, bringing the 2023-24 debt advice funding for the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) to over £92 million. MaPS expect to serve over 500,000 clients with debt advice this year. Further information can be found in MaPS’ 2023-24 corporate plan: https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/corporate-strategy-and-plan/ MaPS carry out an annual Debt Need survey to assess the proportion of the population which would benefit from debt advice, based on their financial circumstances. The latest results from the 2022 survey can be found here: https://maps.org.uk/2023/01/25/need-for-debt-advice-and-how-households-are-reacting-to-changes-in-the-cost-of-living/.

Exports: VAT

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing the VAT Retail Export Scheme for international visitors to the UK.

Gareth Davies: Reintroducing the VAT Retail Export Scheme (or VAT RES) would not directly benefit the British public but would allow tourists who buy items in the UK to claim back VAT as they return home. The independent OBR published its assessment of the withdrawal of VAT RES in 2020, which supported the Government’s assertion that the withdrawal of the scheme would raise a significant amount of revenue and have a net positive fiscal impact. This costing is only part of the evidence Government has considered, which included a consultation on the withdrawal of the previous scheme that attracted a range of views. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review, and the Chancellor has invited evidence to inform its policymaking on this issue to ensure that the Government has the latest data on the impact of the removal of VAT RES.

Air Passenger Duty

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with (a) travel operators and (b) representatives in the devolved Administrations on potential merits of reducing air passenger duty.

Gareth Davies: Air Passenger Duty (APD) is the UK Government’s principal tax on the aviation sector, since tickets are VAT free and aviation fuel incurs no duty. Its primary objective is to ensure that airlines make a fair contribution to the public finances. There are different rates according to a passenger's class of travel and the distance of their journey.  As with all taxes, the Government keeps APD under review and any changes are announced by the Chancellor at fiscal events.

Treasury: Aviation

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many flights the then Chancellor of the Exchequer made to California between 13 February 2020 and 5 July 2022.

Gareth Davies: Information on HM Treasury Ministerial overseas travel is published regularly on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Matt Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of linking road tax thresholds to the level of car prices.

Gareth Davies: Rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (also known as ‘road tax’) depend on the vehicle’s date of first registration and characteristics such as emissions. In 2017, the Government made changes to the VED system to incentivise the uptake of cleaner vehicles. In his 2022 Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced that from April 2025 electric cars, vans and motorcycles will begin to pay VED in the same way as petrol and diesel vehicles. Owners of more expensive cars already pay an additional VED supplement for the first five years after registration. This applies to cars with a list price of £40,000 or over. As with all taxes, VED is kept under review and any changes are considered and announced by the Chancellor.

Treasury: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

Gareth Davies: HM Treasury has not led the formal government response to any statutory public inquiries published in the last 5 years under the Inquiries Act 2005.

Treasury: Labour Turnover

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information their Department holds on the level of staff retention; and what steps they are taking to improve staff retention.

Gareth Davies: HMT records monthly turnover data. HMT launched its People Strategy earlier in 2023. The strategy covers investing in our people, improving employee experience and promotes diversity, inclusion and belonging. In April 2023, the Cabinet Office published the annual Civil Service Pay Remit guidance for 2023/24, which provides the framework within which all departments set pay for civil servants at staff below SCS for 2023/24. The guidance allowed departments to make average awards of up to 4.5% of their total pay bill and provided additional flexibility to use a further 0.5% of the pay bill to be targeted at lower pay bands.This year, HMT prioritised within our budget to afford the full remit and have ensured that all staff receive an award of at least 4.5%, with additional targeting across our lower pay bands. The award was implemented on 1 August.Our performance management process encourages managers to have conversations with their team about development and longer-term career aspirations. We are focusing on career development and retention by reviewing and improving our current Performance Management arrangements, ensuring it reflects our commitments to develop and retain our people and be an inclusive organisation. We are developing a new wellbeing action plan and running several innovative wellbeing interventions across our 3 sites.  HMT is prioritising the development and progression for our staff through both cross-government, and internal, talent development programmes and internally run learning interventions, including a new leadership and management offer for all managers within the department.

Treasury: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

Gareth Davies: HM Treasury doesn’t run any digital services on GOV.UK. Accessibility is something we adhere to in HMT’s GOV.UK content – we have an accessibility documents policy published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-treasury/about/accessible-documents-policy We aim to publish content either in accessible HTML format or using our HMT Word template (saved as pdf). We also aim to provide a good user experience by publishing content in a clear format and making sure updates to pages are transparent by adding public change notes for factual amendments. The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) leads the Government Digital and Datafunction; this includes setting strategy and direction for the improvement of digital services and understanding current performance.

Energy: Tax Allowances

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2022 to Question 93499 on Energy: Taxation, if she will make an estimate of the amount that would be raised by the Energy Profits Levy if tax relief were not provided to companies which invest in new oil and gas extraction in the next six years; and for what reason this information was not provided in the previous Answer.

Gareth Davies: The information requested isn't readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Financial Services: Politically Exposed Persons

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has held discussions with the Financial Conduct Authority on the treatment by financial institutions of individuals who are deemed to be politically exposed persons for anti-money laundering purposes.

Andrew Griffith: My officials have been in regular contact with the FCA on the issue of the treatment of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) since concerns were first raised in 2017, and my predecessor, Rt. Hon. John Glen MP, met with the FCA and banks in February 2022 to underline the importance of the FCA’s guidance on PEPs.Further to this, my Treasury colleague Baroness Penn wrote to the Chief Executive of the FCA in June setting out the Government’s expectations for their review into the treatment of PEPs by financial institutions. Following this letter, I wrote to the FCA in July underlining the importance of this review to the Government. The Money Laundering Regulations require financial institutions and other regulated businesses to carry out enhanced due diligence on PEPs due to the increased risks associated with their positions. However, it is essential that these measures are implemented proportionately, and the Government took action through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to respond to concerns that some financial institutions were failing to do so. The Act commits the Government to amend the Money Laundering Regulations to explicitly distinguish between domestic and foreign PEPs, and requires the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to carry out a review into the adherence of financial institutions to their guidance on PEPs.

Money

Mark Logan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the continued acceptance of cash as a payment option within the UK.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises that, to support people’s ability to continue to transact using cash, businesses need reasonable access to cash deposit facilities to support them to keep accepting cash.The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The government considers that this legislation will support organisations, including local businesses, to continue accepting cash by ensuring that they have reasonable access to cash deposit facilities. Following this, the government recently published a Cash Access Policy Statement, which sets out the government’s policies on access to cash. The FCA is required by law to have regard to these policies when determining its regulatory approach. The FCA will publicly consult on its regulatory approach in due course. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cash-access-policy-statement/cash-access-policy-statement

High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the impact of rising prices on the incomes of families affected by the High Income Child Benefit Charge.

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the impact of the High Income Child Benefit Charge on child poverty.

Victoria Atkins: The threshold for High Income Child Benefit Charge affects taxpayers who are generally on comparatively high incomes. In 2020-21, (the latest year that data is available), 99.7% of those who declared a liability for HICBC paid income tax at the higher rate or above, and 88% of Child Benefit claimants were unaffected by the HICBC. The Government is committed to supporting families with the pressures they are facing from rising prices. Families who are liable to the HICBC will benefit from the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), energy bill support scheme and the cancelled planned increase in fuel duty. Moreover, the Government extended the free hours for childcare offers at Spring Budget 2023, so that eligible working parents in England are able to access 30 hours of free childcare per week for 38 weeks per year from when their child is 9 months old, to when they start school.

Income Tax

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on how many people voluntarily paid additional income tax in the last financial year.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC does not have this information because there is no facility for customers to make voluntary income tax payments within the tax system. Customers can make voluntary payments outside of the tax system.

Inheritance Tax: Internet

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department's policy to create an online portal for inheritance tax applications.

Victoria Atkins: The government is committed to building a trusted, modern tax system, including the digital transformation of taxes. We keep all taxes and modernisation under review.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of closing the self-assessment helpline for three months on taxpayers.

Victoria Atkins: I refer my Honourable friend to the reply given to the Honourable Member for North Ayrshire and Arran reference UIN 196363.

Revenue and Customs: Trials

Esther McVey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of court cases has HMRC won in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC publishes its litigation outcomes every year within it’s Annual Report. The latest report for 2022-2023 together with links to previous years’ reports can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmrc-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-to-2023

Revenue and Customs: Trials

Esther McVey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,  What estimate his Department has made of the average cost to businesses of successfully defending a court case brought by HMRC in each of the last five years.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC does not estimate or collect customer data on the costs incurred by businesses who seek to contest an assessment through the courts. More detail of the department’s litigation strategy can be found on GOV.UK at www.gov.uk/government/publications/litigation-and-settlement-strategy-lss

Revenue and Customs: Information Sharing

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department are taking to improve information sharing across HMRC.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC is working towards the implementation of its Data Strategy and policies to ensure that the organisation makes best use of its data in accordance with its intended purpose and in line with its statutory obligations. Recent improvements include establishing a data governance framework and enhancing capabilities within HMRC to better manage our data and to ensure the reliability, validity and integrity of the data is maintained. We only share HMRC information where it is legal to do so to protect taxpayer confidentiality.

VAT: Fraud

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of VAT fraud; and what steps he is taking to tackle VAT fraud.

Victoria Atkins: HM Revenue and Customs published “Measuring tax gaps 2023” in June: Measuring tax gaps 2023 edition: tax gap estimates for 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Houseboats: VAT

Apsana Begum: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting VAT on mooring licenses for people who live on houseboats capable of self-propulsion.

Victoria Atkins: VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. This request should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of requests for relief from VAT received since the EU referendum. The Government keeps all taxes under review, as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.

Remembrance Day: VAT

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2023 to Question 194529 on Royal British Legion: VAT, if he will make it his policy to remove VAT on Remembrance Day wreaths.

Victoria Atkins: VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the twenty per cent standard rate applies to the vast majority of goods and services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. Whilst there are no plans to make changes to the VAT treatment of Royal British Legion products, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Defibrillators: VAT

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of exempting automated external defibrillators from VAT relief on the accessibility of defibrillators in public spaces.

Victoria Atkins: The Government maintains VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT.The Government is currently inviting community organisations to bid for funding as part of a £1 million grant scheme that expands public access to AEDs, particularly in public places where they are most needed.In addition, in June 2023, the Government met its commitment to ensure that all state-funded schools in England have access to a life-saving defibrillator.The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Defibrillators: VAT

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of removing VAT from all defibrillators sold in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The Government maintains VAT reliefs to aid the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), including VAT relief on purchases made by local authorities and those made through voluntary contributions, where the AED is donated to eligible charities or the NHS. Otherwise, they attract the standard rate of VAT.The Government is currently inviting community organisations to bid for funding as part of a £1 million grant scheme that expands public access to AEDs, particularly in public places where they are most needed. In addition, in June 2023, the Government met its commitment to ensure that all state-funded schools in England have access to a life-saving defibrillator.The Government keeps all taxes under review.

Land: Public Sector

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up Communities and Local Government on allowing public land to be sold for below market value when purchased for projects aimed to benefit the local community.

John Glen: The Treasury is committed to generating maximum benefits from the sale of public land, whether in terms of cash receipts, or by putting land to better use for the public. The Green Book makes clear that policy appraisal should consider costs and benefits to the whole of UK society, not just the public sector or the institution involved.  Cabinet Office, Treasury and DLUHC officials have regular discussions on public land sales.

Self-employed: Fines

Ian Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to end the issuing of late filing penalties to self-employed people with incomes below the personal allowance.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC issues SA tax returns to customers when the information they hold suggests that the customer meets the published criteria for completing one. HMRC often cannot determine someone’s tax liability until they have sent in a tax return, therefore they need the return to establish whether there is tax due or not. HMRC charges late final penalties to encourage customers to file on time but they can cancel a customer’s late filing penalty if they have a reasonable excuse. Customers can also ask HMRC to remove them from the SA process for future years if they no longer meet the criteria. HMRC is currently reforming late payment and late filing penalties. Their aim is to encourage those who persistently default to comply with their tax obligations rather than penalise those who make occasional errors.

Broadband: Social Tariffs

Carol Monaghan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to reduce VAT on broadband social tariffs.

Victoria Atkins: VAT is the UK’s third largest tax forecast to raise £161 billion in 2023/24, helping to fund key spending priorities such as public services, including the NHS, education and defence. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. VAT is a broad-based tax on consumption and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to most goods and services. Exceptions to the standard rate have always been limited by both legal and fiscal considerations. This request should be viewed in the context of over £50 billion of requests for relief from VAT received since the EU referendum. Although there are no current plans to reduce VAT on broadband social tariffs, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Self-employed: Fines

Ian Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of issuing late filing penalties on self-employed people with incomes below the personal allowance, in the context of increases in the cost of living.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC issues SA tax returns to customers when the information they hold suggests that the customer meets the published criteria for completing one. HMRC often cannot determine someone’s tax liability until they have sent in a tax return, therefore they need the return to establish whether there is tax due or not. HMRC charges late final penalties to encourage customers to file on time but they can cancel a customer’s late filing penalty if they have a reasonable excuse. Customers can also ask HMRC to remove them from the SA process for future years if they no longer meet the criteria. HMRC is currently reforming late payment and late filing penalties. Their aim is to encourage those who persistently default to comply with their tax obligations rather than penalise those who make occasional errors.

Religious Buildings: VAT

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to take steps to remove VAT from (a) services and (b) goods used for the repair and maintenance of (i) churches and (ii) other religious buildings.

Victoria Atkins: The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme aims to redress financial shortfalls by providing grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship. With annual funding increased to £42 million per annum, the scheme has made grants totalling over £300 million since its introduction. There are no plans to introduce a new VAT relief for the repair and maintenance of places of worship. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Self-employed: Fines

Ian Byrne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of HMRC's communication policy on late filing penalties issued to self-employed people on incomes lower than the Personal Allowance; and whether HMRC is taking steps to reduce the number of such fines.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC issues SA tax returns to customers when the information they hold suggests that the customer meets the published criteria for completing one. HMRC often cannot determine someone’s tax liability until they have sent in a tax return, therefore they need the return to establish whether there is tax due or not. Even where a customer has no income, or does not owe tax they may still need to file a return e.g. to pay voluntary Class 2 National Insurance or to support claims for Maternity allowance or Tax Free Childcare. HMRC charges late final penalties to encourage customers to file on time but they can cancel a customer’s late filing penalty if they have a reasonable excuse. Customers can also ask HMRC to remove them from the SA process for future years if they no longer meet the criteria. HMRC is currently reforming late payment and late filing penalties. Their aim is to encourage those who persistently default to comply with their tax obligations rather than penalise those who make occasional errors.

Self-assessment: Fines

Derek Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) cancelling or (b) refunding penalties for late tax returns when there is no tax due to be paid on taxpayers.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC issues self assessment tax returns to customers when the information they hold suggests that the customer meets the published criteria for completing one. HMRC often cannot determine someone’s tax liability until they have sent in a tax return, therefore they need the return to establish whether there is tax due or not.  HMRC charges late final penalties to encourage customers to file on time but they can cancel a customer’s late filing penalty if they have a reasonable excuse. Customers can also ask HMRC to remove them from the SA process for future years if they no longer meet the criteria. HMRC is currently reforming late payment and late filing penalties. The aim is to encourage those who persistently default to comply with their tax obligations rather than penalise those who make occasional errors.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to correspondence of (a) 30 May and (b) 30 June from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf ofMr JohnMayer and Ms Teresa Pitt on registrations for National Insurance contributions.

Victoria Atkins: The correspondence was received in HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on 01 June 2023 and 03 July 2023. HMRC apologise for the delay. The constituents were contacted by telephone on 06 September 2023. HMRC aim to reply in detail to the correspondence by 20 September 2023.

Research and Development Expenditure Credit

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of HMRC's Research and Development Tax relief reform changes on the number of UK SMEs submitting applications for tax relief.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is currently undertaking a review of R&D tax reliefs, to ensure the UK remains a competitive location for cutting edge research, that the reliefs continue to be fit for purpose, and that taxpayer money is effectively targeted. A number of reforms have already been announced as part of this review. HMRC has considered the impacts of these measures, and these are set out Tax Information and Impact Notes published alongside any announcements. HMRC publishes annual statistics on the number of R&D tax relief claims received: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/corporate-tax-research-and-development-tax-credit

Research and Development Expenditure Credit

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many Research and Development tax credit relief applicants have received repeated requests for information in the last 12 months.

Victoria Atkins: Research and Development tax reliefs are a vital driver of innovation, growth and productivity and are crucial to the government’s pledge to grow the economy. It’s important that these reliefs are easy to claim and are provided quickly to genuine claimants. HMRC does not record details of the number of additional requests for information, however, HMRC asks for information only where it is needed to support a claimant in justifying their claim.

Income Tax

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answers of 13 and 25 July 2023 to Questions 193196 and 194519 on Income tax, for what reasons summing boxes 2 and 4 on HMRC CT61 forms across all corporate taxpayers does not provide the information requested.

Victoria Atkins: The table below provides aggregate figures for the income tax deducted at source by companies at (a) the basic rate and (b) a reduced rate in each of the last six financial years. Please note data is only available for returns above £50k in value so this information will not capture amounts below this threshold. £mTotal tax deducted at the basic rate of income tax (Box 2)Total tax deducted at reduced rates (Box 4)2016-17335252017-18720802018-19*902019-20300502020-21145302021-2219530 The figure for the total tax deducted at the basic rate of income tax in 2018-19 has been redacted to maintain taxpayer confidentiality, which can be at risk when there are a small number of contributors or a small number of contributors which are very dominant.

Off-payroll Working: PAYE

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Off-payroll working: calculation of PAYE liability in cases of non-compliance, published on 27 April 2023, what his Department's expected timescale is for responding to the consultation.

Victoria Atkins: The government launched a consultation on the design of a potential legislative change to address the over-collection of tax in cases of non-compliance with the off-payroll working rules. The consultation ran from 27 April 2023 to 22 June 2023. The government is considering the responses to this consultation and aims to publish a response by the end of the calendar year.

National Insurance

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on how many people voluntarily paid additional national insurance in the last financial year.

Victoria Atkins: Information in the form requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Class 3 National Insurance Contributions receipts are published in the National Insurance Fund accounts, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-insurance-fund-accounts/great-britain-national-insurance-fund-account-for-the-year-ended-31-march-2022 Figures for 2022 to 2023 will be included in the next publication.

Inheritance Tax

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2023 to Question 192344 on Inheritance Tax, what steps his Department is taking to ensure inheritance tax applications are processed within the 15 working day turnaround target.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC recognises the impact on customers of not processing these applications within 15 working days and they will continue to prioritise them. As indicated in the response to Question 192344, the performance target for clearing these forms is 15 working days and during 2022/23 this performance standard was reached consistently, with the exception of one month.

Self-assessment: Fines

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-employed people that didn't file their tax returns on time were issued fines worth more than they originally owed in tax in the 2022-23 financial year; if he will (a) take steps to support self-employed people filing their tax returns and (b) make an assessment of the proportionality of fines issued to self-employed people for late filing of a tax return when there is no tax owing; and if he will make a statement.

Victoria Atkins: HMRC does not have data relating to the 2022/23 SA Returns because customers have until 31 January 2024 to file these returns.

UK Debt Management Office

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of the Debt Management Office on the independent oversight of the UK debt market.

Andrew Griffith: The UK Debt Management Office (DMO) is an Executive Agency of HM Treasury and therefore not independent. The DMO is the government’s actor in wholesale debt and cash markets, with the operational responsibility for implementing and delivering the government’s debt and cash management remits. More details on the main aims of the DMO are available in its Executive Agency Framework Document (available at: https://www.dmo.gov.uk/media/dtkpands/fwork040405.pdf)  There are no plans to abolish the DMO.

Business: Money

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to take steps to require businesses to accept cash payments.

Andrew Griffith: The government has no plans to add to regulatory burdens on business by mandating cash acceptance. As technology and consumer behaviour changes, it should remain the choice of individual organisations as to whether to accept or decline any form of payment, including cash or card. Nonetheless, the government recognises that, to support people’s ability to continue to transact using cash, businesses need reasonable access to cash deposit facilities to support them to keep accepting cash. The government therefore legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of both cash withdrawal and cash deposit facilities. The government considers that this legislation will support organisations, including local businesses, to continue accepting cash by ensuring that they have reasonable access to cash deposit facilities.

Iceland: Banks

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will consider the potential merits of the Government issuing an apology to the Icelandic people for using section 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 to seize Icelandic bank assets between 2008 and 2011.

Andrew Griffith: The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 contains a broad range of provisions, and the Government has been clear that the Landsbanki Freezing Order 2008 was not made on the basis of the anti-terrorism provisions within the Act. The decision to protect UK depositors in Icelandic banks was made after extensive conversations with the Icelandic Government who, at the time, were unable to provide assurances regarding the position of UK creditors following Landsbanki being placed into receivership in October 2008. This presented a serious risk that the rights of UK creditors would be prejudiced compared with those of others, which would have had an extremely detrimental impact on the UK economy at a time of unprecedent disturbances in the financial sector. The Government believes that it was right to take urgent action to protect financial stability within the United Kingdom. HM Treasury subsequently revoked the freezing orders on Landsbanki on 15 June 2009, without the normal notification period, as commitments made by the Icelandic Government in respect of depositors removed the threats to UK economic interests that had caused HMT to make the original Orders. The UK greatly values its historic relationship with Iceland, with diplomatic relations stretching back over 80 years, and the Government will continue to ensure our bilateral and regional cooperation remains strong.

Financial Services and Markets Act 2023

Alun Cairns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to engage with international financial service businesses on the Government's approach to Clause 37 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023.

Andrew Griffith: The Government published a Call for Proposals on 9 May 2023, seeking views on what additional metrics the regulators should publish to support scrutiny of their work embedding and advancing their new secondary growth and competitiveness objectives. The Call for Proposals also set out the Government’s proposed approach to the exercise of the power of direction in Clause 37 of the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which is now section 39 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023. It asked respondents whether they agreed with the Government’s proposed approach. The Call for Proposals was open to all persons, including international financial services businesses, and closed on 4 July. The Treasury is currently analysing the responses and will respond in due course. More broadly, international comparisons were considered by the Government in the design of the new secondary growth and competitiveness objectives as part of the Future Regulatory Framework Review. For example, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan have growth or competitiveness embedded in their regulatory frameworks, and this is something that the Government considered when introducing the new secondary growth and competitiveness objectives for the regulators.

UK Trade with EU: Energy and Supermarkets

Angela Crawley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on (a) supermarket and (b) domestic energy prices.

Andrew Griffith: It is for the Office for Budget Responsibility to provide economic and fiscal forecasts.

Cash Dispensing: Voice Over Internet Protocol

Dawn Butler: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the migration of households from the public switched telephone network to the Digital Voice service on the functionality of free-to-use cash machines.

Andrew Griffith: The finance sector, including ATM providers are well-prepared for the switch over from the public switched telephone network to voice over internet (VoIP) in 2025.

Investment: Internet

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of investment products advertised online by companies not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to sell financial products in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is taking action to further protect consumers from potentially harmful financial promotions, through the introduction of a financial promotions gateway. This regulatory gateway, which was legislated for in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023, aims to improve the quality of financial promotions that are made by unauthorised firms, by allowing only those authorised firms that the FCA assesses as suitable and with sufficient expertise to approve the promotions of unauthorised firms. It will also give the FCA greater oversight of the approval of financial promotions and reduce the number of authorised firms that are able to undertake such approvals. In addition, the FCA has worked with large online platforms to ensure that paid-for advertising for UK financial services hosted on these platforms has been approved by an FCA-authorised firm. This has had the effect of significantly reducing the opportunity for fraudsters to advertise their scams online as legitimate financial products.

Money

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of the Don't Kill Cash petition delivered to Downing Street on 17 August 2023.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises that while the transition towards digital payments brings many opportunities, cash continues to be used by many people across the UK, including those who may be in vulnerable groups. The government legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. This establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash and provides it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The government considers that this legislation will support organisations, including local businesses, to continue accepting cash by ensuring that they have reasonable access to cash deposit facilities. Following this, the government recently published a Cash Access Policy Statement, which sets out the government’s policies on access to cash. The FCA is required by law to have regard to these policies when determining its regulatory approach. The FCA will publicly consult on its regulatory approach in due course. The government’s policy statement is available on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cash-access-policy-statement/cash-access-policy-statement In the context of the government’s legislation, the financial services sector is working together to develop and provide shared cash services, such as Banking Hubs and cash deposit services. To date, industry has committed to deliver new shared cash services in over 140 communities.

Bank Services: Vetting

Matt Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to help ensure that banks are not able to deny banking services to people because of their political beliefs.

Andrew Griffith: The Government has been unequivocal in its view that payment accounts should not be terminated on grounds relating to users’ exercising of their right to lawful freedom of expression or political beliefs. The Government strongly supports this fundamental right afforded to all people in British society. Regulation 18 of the Payments Accounts Regulations 2015 bans this so-called ‘debanking’ of people for their political views in relation to discrimination against UK consumers when they access a payment account provided by a credit institution. The Government published a policy statement on 21 July that set out its plans to strengthen requirements relating to payment contract terminations. These changes will require reasons for termination to be given and increase the minimum notice period in cases of contract termination to 90 days (subject to limited exceptions) – giving customers more time to challenge a decision through the Financial Ombudsman Service or find a replacement bank. In addition, the Chancellor has written to the FCA to request an urgent review into the matter of ‘de-banking’ more broadly. The FCA have agreed to undertake this review, and to share the evidence and findings with the Treasury. This will help inform whether further action is necessary to ensure nobody is being unfairly denied banking facilities.

Bank Services: Homelessness and Refugees

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help support (a) homeless people and (b) refugees obtain a bank account.

Andrew Griffith: The government is committed to improving access to financial services and recognises that access to a transactional bank account is key to enabling people to manage their money on a day-to-day basis effectively, securely and confidently. That is why the Payment Account Regulations 2015 require the largest UK banking providers to provide fee-free Basic Bank Accounts to anyone who doesn’t already have a current account These regulations explicitly include consumers with no fixed address and asylum seekers. Firms will still need to carry out checks to verify consumers’ identities when they first open an account but are encouraged to be flexible regarding the types of documents they will accept, such as a referral letter from a homeless shelter. The Government has also worked with the financial services industry to provide guidance to support firms to open basic bank accounts to refugees coming to the UK from specific countries, such as arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine. To date, over 75,000 basic bank accounts have been opened by Ukrainian nationals arriving in the UK.

Electronic Commerce: Exchange Rates

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report of the Behavioural Insights Team entitled The impact of improved transparency of foreign money transfers for consumers and SMEs, published March 2018, whether his Department plans to implement that report's recommendations in its Payment Services Regulations Review.

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to use the Payment Services Regulations Review to introduce price transparency in cross-border transfers and FX rates for consumers and SMEs.

Martyn Day: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to correspondence of 19 July 2023 to HM Treasury from the fintech industry, whether his Department plans to update to the 2018 Report entitled The impact of improved transparency of foreign money transfers for consumers and SMEs; if his Department will take steps to implement the mid-market exchange rate as a basis for all cross-border transfers made from financial institutions in the UK that require mark-ups over the mid-market rate to be clearly displayed; and if he will set out a timeline for the introduction of price transparency in cross-border transfers and FX rates.

Andrew Griffith: The Government recognises the importance of transparency of fees and charges in ensuring effective competition between payment service providers and enabling consumers to make informed choices. There are a number of existing requirements both in payments legislation and in FCA rules in relation to providing information on fees and conversion rates. The Government invited views on information requirements through its recent Call for Evidence on the Payment Services Regulations 2017, which also sought views on the Cross Border Payments Regulation and its requirements in relation to currency conversion transparency. The Government will take these views into consideration as it determines its approach to the UK’s future regulatory framework, as part of the Smarter Regulatory Framework (SRF) programme to repeal retained EU law in financial services, and replace it with legislation and rules designed for the UK. The Government will publish its response to the Call for Evidence in due course.

Government Securities

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Departments policy is on issuing more index-linked gilts in the next 12 months.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of issuing longer gilts on the number of index-linked gilts issued.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons his Department issued more inflation-linked gilts in 2023 than than other G7 countries.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the amount of issue index-linked gilts on financial markets.

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential reasons for the rise in index-linked gilt yields.

Andrew Griffith: Index-linked gilts are planned to account for around 11% of gilt sales in 2023-24. The government’s decisions on the amount of index-linked (and conventional) gilt issuance are taken as part of the annual financing remit, and in consultation with market participants. In practice, the share of total issuance will vary from year to year depending on factors including the size of the financing requirement, demand, and market conditions. Index-linked gilts remain a key part of the UK’s financing programme, as they have for over four decades. They have historically brought cost advantages for the government due to strong demand from, for example, the domestic pension fund industry, and they continue to do so based on current inflation expectations implied by the difference between nominal and real yields. At Budget 2018, the government announced that it would look to reduce the proportion of index-linked gilt issuance in a measured fashion over the medium term, to manage the inflation exposure in the debt portfolio. Since then, the proportion of index-linked gilts in the debt portfolio has fallen from 28.4% at the end of 2019 to 25.3% at the end of 2022. As set out in the 2022-23 Debt Management Report, the government is no longer looking to reduce index-linked gilt issuance as a share of total issuance on a year-on-year basis over the medium term. The 2023-24 financing remit is consistent with this. The proportion of index-linked gilts in the government’s wholesale debt portfolio remains consistently higher than across the G7 group of advanced economies and is around twice as large as the second highest G7 country. This is largely owing to the high level of structural demand in the UK, as a number of institutional investors hold index-linked gilts to hedge long-term inflation-linked liabilities. The government does not comment on specific financial market movements. Real yields have been low by historical standards over the last decade. It is normal for the yields of index-linked (and conventional) gilts to vary when there are wider movements in financial markets. The government is ultimately a price-taker, with the price of government debt determined by the market.

Small Businesses: Tax Allowances

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support small and medium-sized enterprises that have been waiting longer than HMRC's 40-day target to receive research and development tax credit payments.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the notice provided by HMRC to small and medium-sized enterprises of delays to the processing of their applications for research and development tax credit payments.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average processing time was for applications to the small and medium-sized enterprise research and development tax credit scheme in each year since 2020.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of claims for the small and medium-sized enterprise research and development tax credits scheme exceeded HMRC’s 40-day processing target in each year since 2020.

Victoria Atkins: Research and Development tax reliefs are a vital driver of innovation, growth and productivity and are crucial to the government’s pledge to grow the economy. It’s important that these reliefs are easy to claim and are provided quickly to genuine claimants. HMRC does not currently have a delay or backlog and is exceeding performance against its published goal to either pay or make contact regarding the claim for 85% of claims within 40 days.

Video Games: Tax Allowances

Matt Western: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of how many gaming companies in (a) the UK and (b) Warwick and Leamington constituency have benefited from Video Games Tax Relief in the most recent year for which data is available.

Victoria Atkins: While HMRC does not hold information at a constituency level, the number of companies benefiting from the Video games tax relief can be found in Table 4.1 of:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/creative-industries-statistics-august-2023

Electronic Funds Transfer: Fraud

Sarah Owen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring all banks to sign up to the contingent reimbursement model code.

Sarah Owen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has had discussions with payment service providers on mandatory protections for victims of authorised push payment scams.

Andrew Griffith: The Government recognises the threat posed to consumers by Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, with sophisticated scams that can be detrimental to people’s lives.That is why the Government has legislated in the Financial Services & Markets Act 2023 to enable the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to require banks and other payment service providers to reimburse APP fraud victims, and placed a duty on the PSR to require reimbursement by payment service providers that use the Faster Payments system (where the vast majority of APP scams currently occur) within 6 months of the legislation coming into force. The Government believes this will ensure more consistent and comprehensive protections for APP scam victims than the existing voluntary contingent reimbursement model code.

Payment Systems Regulator: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Payment Systems Regulator have previous experience in the sectors that they regulate.

Andrew Griffith: Information about PSR Board members and their professional experience can be found at: www.psr.org.uk/about-us/psr-governance The PSR is an independent non-governmental body, and the Treasury does not hold information on the prior experience of PSR employees.

Prudential Regulation Authority: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Prudential Regulation Authority have previous experience in the sectors that they regulate.

Andrew Griffith: Information about PRA Board members and their professional experience can be found at:www.bankofengland.co.uk/about/people/prudential-regulation-committee The PRA is an independent non-governmental body, and the Treasury does not hold information on the prior experience of PRA employees.

Financial Conduct Authority: Staff

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of (a) board members and (b) employees of the Financial Conduct Authority have previous experience in the sectors that they regulate.

Andrew Griffith: Information about FCA Board members and their professional experience can be found at www.fca.org.uk/about/who-we-are/fca-board. The FCA is an independent non-governmental body, and the Treasury does not hold information on the prior experience of FCA employees.

Money: Greater Manchester

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision for cash payments in Greater Manchester.

Andrew Griffith: The government recognises that, to support people’s ability to continue to transact using cash, businesses need reasonable access to cash deposit facilities to support them to keep accepting cash. The government therefore legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator for access to cash and provide it with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit facilities. The government considers that this legislation will support organisations, including local businesses, to continue accepting cash by ensuring that they have reasonable access to cash deposit facilities.

Banking Hubs

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of shared banking hubs for meeting the needs of customers.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on the number of services that are available through shared banking hubs.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the provision of support services for (a) non-English speakers and (b) disabled people at shared banking hubs.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate he has made of when future shared banking hubs will be rolled-out; and whether his Department is taking steps to accelerate the rollout of shared banking hubs.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing shared banking hub services in Northern Ireland.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of shared banking hub services in areas with (a) limited and (b) no internet access; and what information his Department holds on whether (i) established and (ii) proposed shared banking hub services are mapped against areas with (A) limited and (B) no internet access.

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of whether (a) established and (b) proposed shared banking hub services have been implemented in constituencies with low access to bank branch services.

Andrew Griffith: Banking Hubs are a commercial initiative provided by participating retail banks and building societies in partnership with the Post Office to support access to cash and banking services in communities. Banking Hubs offer basic counter services provided by Post Office staff, allowing people and businesses to withdraw and deposit cash, deposit cheques, pay bills and make balance enquiries. They also contain dedicated rooms where customers can see community bankers from their own bank or building society for more complicated matters that require specialist knowledge or privacy. Decisions regarding the deployment of Banking Hubs and the range of services provided are taken on a commercial basis by the parties involved. To date, industry has committed to deliver Banking Hubs in 80 locations. Further information on Banking Hubs is available at: https://www.cashaccess.co.uk/ The Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 provides the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of cash access services. The FCA is currently developing its approach and will consult in due course.

Debts Written Off: Developing Countries

Sarah Champion: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government response to the Eighth Report of the International Development Committee, Debt relief in low-income countries, HC 1393, published on 8 June 2023, what the evidential basis is for the conclusion that a legislative approach to debt relief could have unintended consequences in terms of access to finance for developing countries.

John Glen: The Government’s policy position on private sector participation in debt relief initiatives, including a legislative approach, has been informed by extensive engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders with an interest in sovereign debt. These included representatives from the private sector, international governments, civil society organisations and academics. The Government has also previously consulted extensively on this issue.

Public Expenditure

Julian Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will review the Barnett Formula.

John Glen: Whilst the effective operation of the funding arrangements for the devolved administrations is monitored on an ongoing basis, the UK Government currently has no plans to undertake a formal review of the Barnett formula.The Barnett formula is simple, efficient and provides a clear and certain outcome. For this reason, it has stood the test of time.The Barnett formula ensures the same change in funding per person across the whole of the UK, while the underlying baseline funding reflects that needs are higher in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman: Finance

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has been made of the adequacy of resources available to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to (a) consider referrals in a reasonable timeframe and (b) to manage the demand on its services.

John Glen: The Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO), as an independent organisation, requested and received an increase in funding at the 2021 Spending Review, with its total Resource budget £41.8m in 2023/24 and Capital budget £11.7m.As it is independent from Government and accountable to Parliament with its work is scrutinised by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. It is therefore, not for HM Treasury to comment on the adequacy of the resources available to the PHSO.

Office for Budget Responsibility: Standards

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of forecasts made by the Office for Budget Responsibility since 2018.

John Glen: HMT supports the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as the UK Government’s independent official forecaster. The OBR is required by law to provide an assessment of the accuracy of previous fiscal and economic forecasts at least once each financial year. The most recent OBR Forecast Evaluation Report (FER) was published in January 2023. It examined how the OBR’s March 2021 forecast for 2021-22 compared to subsequent outturn data and identified lessons for future forecasts. The OBR also published a report called “The OBR’s forecast performance” in August 2023 which reviewed its forecast performance since its establishment in 2010.

Public Sector Debt

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what progress he has made on reducing the level of national debt.

John Glen: Reducing national debt is one the Prime Minister’s five priorities, which is reflected in the Government’s fiscal rules. In its March forecast, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed that the Government is on track to deliver this, with underlying debt falling as a percentage of GDP in 2027-28. To ensure fiscal sustainability, the Government has taken difficult but necessary decisions to ensure that debt is falling.

Whisky: Excise Duties

Ian Murray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer ,what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the rise in alcohol duty on the (a) growth and (b) job creation prospects of the Scotch whisky industry.

Gareth Davies: The potential impacts of the recent changes to alcohol duty rates were published at Spring Budget in HMRC’s Tax Information and Impact Note and can be found online (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-alcohol-duty-rates/alcohol-duty-rate-changes#summary-of-impacts).

Leader of the House

Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, how many times has the Parliamentary Business and Legislation Cabinet Committee met in the last 12 months.

Penny Mordaunt: I refer the Hon Member to the answer to be provided by the Cabinet Office to his Question 196664.

Legislation

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to deliver the government's legislative programme for the upcoming parliamentary year.

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to measure the (a) success and (b) efficiency of the government's legislative programme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure flexibility in the legislative programme.

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to help increase  public (a) engagement in and (b) understanding of the legislative process.

Penny Mordaunt: Government is working hard to prepare the legislative programme for the next session of Parliament in the usual way. The programme will be announced in the King’s Speech at the State Opening of Parliament on 7th November. Good progress is being made in delivering the Government’s legislative programme and manifesto commitments. So far this session, 30 Government Bills have reached Royal Assent. In addition, the Government has worked with members on all sides of the House to deliver 16 private members' bills. Details of all Acts of Parliament can be found on legislation.gov.uk. Parliament has shown that it provides flexibility in debating legislation and adapts when necessary, for example the passage of the Coronavirus Act and the recent legislation relating to the Northern Ireland budget. Public trust and confidence in our democracy and its institutions is vital and this is something which I am keen to promote as Leader of the House.

Leader of the House of Commons: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps your department is taking to enhance cybersecurity and protect personal data

Penny Mordaunt: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the Hon. Member to the response to be provided by the Cabinet Office (196755).

Parliament: Civil Servants

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to improve parliamentary capability within the civil service.

Julian Knight: To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to help improve  the civil service's understanding of parliament.

Penny Mordaunt: The Parliamentary Capability Team provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades. Their training is designed in partnership with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, the Leaders and Government Whips Offices in both Houses, and departmental parliamentary and legislative teams.Since April 2022, the Parliamentary Capability Team has delivered a total of 15,933 training interventions (attendance at courses and events, and e-learning courses completed).I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in promoting parliamentary capability and have taken a number of actions:I have met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries.I have participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.In November 2022 my office published an updated Guide to Parliamentary Work which is available on Gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Digital Technology

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps their Department is taking to improve its digital services to provide better (a) accessibility and (b) user experience for the public.

David T C Davies: The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) leads the Government Digital and Data function; this includes setting strategy and direction for the improvement of digital services and understanding current performance. Since the publication of the National Disability Strategy in July 2021, CDDO has published the outcome of its work to monitor UK public sector websites and mobile applications. This can be found at the following link: Accessibility monitoring of public sector websites and mobile apps 2020-2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Outputs of this publication and other reviews of digital service performance across government have informed a new performance framework, created by CDDO, for service provision in Government. This framework forms part of mission 1 of the Transforming for a Digital Future strategy, which commits HMG to move 50 of its Top 75 services (by volume) to ‘Great’ standard on the framework by 2025. It explicitly requires compliance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (“accessibility regulations'') and sets thresholds for user experience, which are in line with global best practice. CDDO is working proactively with departments to ensure that public services meet the requirements set out in the framework, in order to move them to ‘Great’ standard. Alongside this, Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to monitor legal accessibility compliance across the public sector and CDDO monitors adherence to the Service Standard and Design Standard, all of which set out minimum requirements for user experience and accessibility and are formally monitored by CDDO through its Service Assessment process. GOV.UK’s strategy aims to improve the overall user experience by making it quicker and easier for users to access information and services, in formats and channels of their choice.

Wales Office: Public Inquiries

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales,  what has been the average time taken to respond to public inquiries by his Department in each of the last five years; and whether he plans to introduce measures to improve this.

David T C Davies: The Department which has sponsored a public inquiry is responsible for providing the response to the inquiry’s recommendations to the Government. The Wales Office has sponsored no public inquiries in the last five years.

Wales Office: Cybersecurity

Julian Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps his Department is taking to (a) enhance cybersecurity and (b) protect personal data.

David T C Davies: Being cyber secure and protecting personal data underpins everything we do in the Wales Office. In accordance with the Government Cyber Security Strategy are working to ensure that our critical functions will be significantly hardened to cyber attack by 2025, with all government organisations across the whole public sector being resilient to known vulnerabilities and attack methods no later than 2030. The Wales Office uses IT services provided by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and therefore benefits from the cyber security embedded in MOJ IT systems.